Forrest and Slade, The Harry and Lloyd Mission
by P.J. Murphy
Summary: When two former acquaintances are the only witnesses to bringing down a powerful member of the Japanese Yakuza, Agents Alex Forrest and Jimmy Slade must go to unusual extremes to keep them protected and find out what they know.
1. Just Your Typical Spy Couple

_Hello. I've started a sort-of tradition of alternating Chuck stories and Forrest & Slade stories. I admit my last Chuck story, _**Chuck vs. a Blonde Leia, an Angry Jayne, and NOT Tricia Helfer**_ was a bit unusual, especially given I've never even been to San Diego, much less Comic Con. But that annual event is as much a part of Chuck lore as anything else, and coming up with a story there was just my way of recognizing what Comic Con meant to Chuck fans, to say nothing of the cast._

_I had played with the idea of this story a few times, mainly because I wanted to see what would happen when a few very unusual restrictions were put on our protagonists. Obviously, I can't keep going to the well of Jimmy Slade lacking confidence and having to be encouraged by everybody, so I wanted this one to show a more confident side of him. In fact, in chapter 2, you'll see how confident. And yes, some of the things you see in this chapter have a bearing on what happens later._

_Anyway, I hope you enjoy this new story. And yes, I have a Chuck story waiting in the pipeline. It'll incorporate elements of Season 5 before we even get to it, so it should be interesting. A big thanks to **BDaddyDL** for giving me some critiques of my writing. For everybody else, please read, review, and enjoy!_

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><p><em><strong>Pacific Ocean<br>October 27, 2011  
>11:30 PM JST<strong>_

Yuji Okumoto took the last drag on his cigarette and stamped it out on the deck of the _Liparus_. To anybody else on the ship, he was Joey Miyashima, a salesperson for an up-and-coming electronics firm just outside of Tokyo. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami earlier this year caused a lot of damage to homes and businesses throughout Japan, but they were spared…at least, that's the story he told. The crew believed his company had to expand their market share quickly to stay afloat. That was the reason for this trip. He was to personally oversee the sales pitch to a series of electronics distributors in Los Angeles. He even made the two-week long trip on the cargo ship to keep an eye on some next-generation merchandise sure to wow the American consumer. The crew asked him about it, but he told them his father believed in trusting the family.

At least that part was true. The Yakuza crime family did believe in loyalty beyond reproach, and Okumoto was undergoing his audition right now.

Okumoto had been a member of the _kobun_ for a particularly successful _oyabun_ for just over two years. He was one of the few people to survive so long without having so much as a fingernail cut off for his errors, of which there were none. His tall but wiry figure could have gotten him a job as a midfielder in one of Japan's soccer leagues or even as a defensive back for an American football team had he decided to go that way. But he discovered he had far more talent with theft, intimidation, and cold-blooded murder. His work had not escaped the notice of the higher-ups in the family. They wanted to give him his shot. Returning home with his assignment completed successfully meant a fast-track to the upper echelons, potentially one of the youngest _oyabuns_ in the family itself.

His assignment would require all of his skills, both physical and mental. The Yakuza were trying to increase their share of weapons sales inside the United States, and the uncertain American economy meant gangs…whether they were local or national, dealing in almost anything…were investing more in weapons and related hardware. The Yakuza already had relationships with several weapons' manufacturers making anything from assault rifles to grenade launchers to pistols with bullets that could penetrate even the most up-to-date body armor the police wore. It was a good opportunity for the Yakuza to make lots of money and an even greater opportunity for Okumoto to rise to the top in the organization.

A brief smile…incredibly rare for the stoic Okumoto…flitted across his face. He had wanted an opportunity like this since he was brought into the fold. And now he had it.

He had no intention of letting anybody stop him.

_**Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  
>November 4, 2011<br>3:30 PM MYT**_

Azman Hashim kept a sharp eye on the woman across the table from him. He had studied her dossier long before he ever met her, but the information in the file was impeccable…at least, for his needs. She brokered the deal to sell goods produced in sweatshops owned by the Chinese Triad to countries in the West, and she was responsible for keeping Taliban cells in Afghanistan resupplied after U.S. drone attacks on their compounds. Hashim thought she might have been playing both sides, as rumors surfaced she leaked information regarding the compound where Osama bin Laden was holed up to the United States, but those rumors couldn't be confirmed. Regardless, this was a woman with connections. It was what he needed.

And the business suit she wore with a short skirt, allowing him to see significant amounts of shapely leg, didn't exactly make matters worse.

"Rather brash of you conducting business in such a high-profile building, isn't it?" the woman asked him.

Hashim gave a slight smile. "It's amazing how 'friendly' real estate companies and even governments become when the economy turns south and you are one of the few with the means to run your business. The Petronas Towers became a joke. Pride goeth before the fall, if I remember the old adage correctly. They were so desperate to create the tallest building in the world, nobody thought what would happen once they did."

Hashim gestured to the expansive office. "We own the top five floors in each tower, and the owners all but paid us to be here."

The woman gave a slight smile. "I certainly hope that means you can afford what I'm about to provide you."

Hashim nodded. "If the data you have is legitimate, I think we can create a mutually-beneficial business relationship."

The woman nodded and reached into her briefcase.

"Wait!" a voice hissed. Hashim did not react at all to the voice…as he never heard it. The woman did.

"I cannot think of any problems that would impede us," the woman said cryptically.

"I can. I just got to the junction box. I need two more minutes," the voice whispered to her. "Can you stall?"

The woman coughed slightly and rasped, attempting to clear her throat.

"Is everything all right?" Hashim asked.

"I apologize," the woman rasped. "I'm afraid I'm just getting over something I caught on my last trip."

"Would you like a glass of water?"

"That would be lovely, thank you."

Hashim picked up his phone and pressed the intercom button. It came back with a shrill busy signal. He tried a second time with the same results. He got up from his desk and crossed the room to the door. He poked his head out to see his assistant typing away dutifully at the computer.

"Please get a glass of ice water for our guest. Also, call building services. The intercom isn't working." His assistant nodded and set about to her tasks.

Forty feet away inside a supply closet, a man breathed a sigh of relief. His mini-laptop was still attempting to circumvent the firewall on the computer server, and it was taking longer than the two minutes he requested. Thankfully, the woman inside Hashim's office asked for water. The phone system was much simpler to hack.

"She'll get that for you," Hashim replied pleasantly to his guest. "In the meantime, do you have the information?"

The woman reached down into her briefcase once again to retrieve a flash drive. She handed it to Hashim. "There is a lot of information on there, so it may take about thirty seconds to boot up."

"Oh, you did not just say thirty seconds," the man in the closet angrily whispered as he typed furiously on his mini-laptop, attempting to get the program set up before Hashim inserted the flash drive. If he didn't, they would have problems.

"Come on, come on," he said quietly to himself. "Whew," he breathed as the program finished uploading into their systems. He inserted a device into the port of the server and covered it with the existing network cabling.

He heard the scrape of footsteps coming down the hall. He quickly shut the cabinet door and climbed the rope he used to lower himself into the supply closet. He pulled the rope into the ceiling and replaced the tile just as the door opened. The man crawled quietly through the ceiling as the assistant took a quick look around. She did not see anybody, but something felt a bit off. She quickly returned to her desk and dialed a number.

Hashim inserted the flash drive and took a look at the files. "Excellent." He handed the woman a business card with a numbered account for a bank in the Caymans. "Feel free to begin the transfer," he told her.

The woman got out her mobile phone to access the account. Hashim settled into his chair as he noticed the red light blinking on his phone.

The man continued to crawl through the ceiling in an attempt to find an exit. He checked his mini-laptop to verify the information from Hashim's computer was downloading. He gave a quiet sigh of relief when he discovered everything was going according to plan. He checked the blueprints of the building on his mobile phone to locate a safe exit point. He smirked as he realized what he was doing.

"A naked blonde walks into a bar with a poodle under one arm, and a two-foot salami under the other," he said quietly with a grin as he crawled. "Lays the poodle on the table. Bartender says 'I suppose you won't be needing a drink.' And the naked lady says…oh, SHIT!"

The man fell through the ceiling and landed inelegantly on the floor with a loud thud.

"Way to jinx it, asshole," he muttered to himself. He slowly tried to get up, only to have a team of three security guards burst into the room.

"Who are you?" one of them asked. The man remained silent. "Put handcuffs on him," he ordered the other two men.

They approached the man, who appeared to be frozen and unresponsive, although his eyes darted back and forth. Suddenly the man pivoted and took out one guard with a roundhouse kick. The second guard threw a punch, which the man sidestepped. He threw a hard jab at the guard and followed it with a hook to take him down.

"We have an intruder…" the final guard screamed into his radio before the man knocked him out with a vertical kick.

The man took off down the hallway with a half-dozen security guards in pursuit. He got to the stairwell and tried to go down, only to have a dozen more security guards charge up the stairs. The man quickly ran up to the next floor and sprinted down the hallway. He entered an office directly above Hashim's office. He had no escape and about ten seconds before the guards caught up to him.

Hashim's phone rang. "Excuse me a moment," he told the woman as he picked up his phone and listened carefully. His expression changed to a far more serious tone as he hung up the phone and glared at the woman.

"It would appear there is some sort of intruder with a computer running around these hallways. I find it odd they would be here at the exact same time you are."

The woman shrugged. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm sure it's just coincidence."

Hashim reached into his desk, pulled out a gun, and aimed it at the woman. "I don't believe it is."

The man grabbed the coffee table sitting next to the two couches in the empty office. He swung it hard at the window several times to shatter it. He reached into his bag to take the rope out of it. He tied one end to the mahogany desk near the window as the doors opened. The man clipped the other end to his belt and pulled out a gun as the guards took aim. He fired two shots at them and jumped out of the 87th floor window.

Hashim kept a steely glare at the woman. "Tell me whom you work for." The woman remained silent. Hashim slowly stood and motioned with the gun for the woman to do the same.

He ripped the flash drive from his computer. "This is a setup, isn't it. Are you with Interpol? The Mossad? The CIA?"

He was interrupted by what sounded like bullet holes being shot into the window. He turned to see a large figure crash through it, knocking him down in the process. The woman dove to the ground and grabbed the gun out of his hand. The door burst open, and the woman whirled around to fire at the security guards attempting to enter. They quickly retreated.

The woman turned to the man who crashed through the window. "Are you out of your mind? We're 86 floors up!"

The man stared in bewilderment. "It's not like I had a choice! I tried using the stairs, but they got tipped off. At least you got to take the elevator up. I was the one crawling through the ducts this time."

"Yeah, and you had to jinx it by reciting _The Breakfast Club_, James," Alex Forrest growled.

Jimmy Slade grabbed the flash drive from the unconscious Hashim and reloaded his gun. "Oh, right. That's why I screwed up," he replied acidly. "Because I stopped to wonder what the punchline of that joke was supposed to be."

"You know, I promised Beckman you'd watch out for yourself, that you wouldn't do any more crazy stunts. I don't think doing a John McClane imitation out of the top of the Petronas Towers can be considered watching out for yourself."

Jimmy fired a shot at the door as security tried to reenter. "OK, fine. Next time I'll just casually walk down the stairs. I may end up with enough bullet holes in me to make Swiss cheese, but at least I won't have done anything crazy."

Alex exhaled in frustration. "I'm just saying sometimes it's better to think strategy through first instead of running head-first into danger."

Suddenly, two flashbangs were thrown into the room by the security guards. Jimmy and Alex stared in shock.

"On the other hand…" Alex said in a panic as Jimmy stripped off his jacket. "You actually thought of that?" Alex said in disbelief when she saw what he had on under the jacket.

"See? Sometimes I use my brains," he replied as he ran for the window. Alex ran at him and leaped into his arms, hanging on tightly as Jimmy jumped out of the window two seconds before the flashbangs went off. They free-fell from the 86th floor for a few seconds before Jimmy pulled the ripcord on his parachute. The chute opened and they began to glide to the ground.

"Cold, very cold," Alex said as she gripped Jimmy even more tightly.

"Thank God you had a tight skirt on; otherwise you'd be having the ultimate Marilyn Monroe moment right now."

Jimmy steered the parachute towards a park several miles from the towers. They reached the ground and landed safely. Alex grabbed the mini-laptop and analyzed the information as Jimmy shed his parachute.

"It worked," she said in relief. "Interpol has all of Hashim's files, and the Royal Malaysian Police Force already has the building surrounded."

Jimmy smiled. "So our batting average remains at 1,000. Great."

"Although you really have to stop with these flairs for the dramatic."

"Fine. Next time, I'll leave the parachute at home," Jimmy replied in frustration.

Alex gave him a weird look. "OK, you really have to figure out when I'm kidding."

Jimmy's eyes widened. "Wait, you do that now?"

Alex put her arms around him. "What can I say? You're a bad influence."

Jimmy checked his smartphone. "Do you still think we can get back to D.C. in time for Monday Night Football?"

Alex gave him a kiss. "Absolutely. But remember my rule."

Jimmy quietly growled. "I know, I know. No singing the opening with Hank. You are so mean."

"Hey, I'm letting you wear your Bears jersey in my apartment. I wouldn't even let John wear a Patriots jersey in my presence. Of course, after the game, you can use it as a crying towel."

Jimmy laughed in defiance. "Oh, you did NOT just go there, missy. OK, we are betting on this game."

"Mmm, what can I make you do when I win this bet? The possibilities are endless," Alex said with a ridiculously smug look on her face.

"Oh, I know I can come up with something very humiliating for you," Jimmy replied as he matched Alex's smug look.

"Take your best shot, babe. Of course, I don't have to worry since you're gonna lose."

Jimmy paused. "By the way, should we be worried we have fake passports in a foreign country and just based-jumped off the Petronas Towers, and yet we're still standing here talking?"

"Uh, maybe. Let's get out of here."

"Good idea." They took off to retrieve their possessions from their hotel and make travel arrangements back to the United States.

_**Burbank, California  
>November 7, 2011<br>9:30 PM PST**_

The day started like every other day in their lives, and their night was ending pretty much the same way.

They stumbled out of the restaurant…asked to leave by the management, actually…and they made their way back to the van.

"No respect for their regulars," one of them said in a slurred voice.

"Tell me about it, my compadre," the other man said in a slightly clearer voice. "The stripes change from green to red, but you still can't get good service."

They stumbled into the van and drove down the road.

"Where to now? We still have so much of the night to go," the first man said to the second one there.

"We'll just let fate decide."

"What do you mean?"

"We just go where the van wants to take us. The City of Angels can steer us wherever it sees fit tonight!"

"That's good. I was already having trouble steering this thing," the man with the slurred speech answered.

"Uh, perhaps I should be driving. I don't have enough for bail money for you."

They drove through the streets of Los Angeles, looking for something to occupy their time.

_**McLean, Virginia  
>November 7, 2011<br>10:30 PM EST**_

"Oh, come on, ref! The Bears can lose on their own! They don't need your help!"

"Well, if your O-line knew how to pass block, they wouldn't be getting holding penalties left and right."

"Hey, Cutler wasn't playing badly tonight."

"That's true. He's thrown three touchdown passes so far; one to the Bears and two to the Eagles."

Chuck and Sarah Bartowski glanced back and forth all night watching the tennis match between what they thought were two very compatible people. It was nothing short of astonishing how different Jimmy and Alex were from a year ago when Jimmy went on his first official mission and Alex actually thanked them for rescuing her from the Russian mobsters who captured her and were intent on killing her slowly and painfully. However, it would appear having teams from Chicago and Philadelphia play each other in football…or any sport, based on the arguing they had been doing all night…was not the best idea to maintain a harmonious relationship. At least not between these two.

They would have left long ago. However, the pizza they had was too damn good. And they had too much to bother moving an inch.

Sarah was not too happy with Alex for letting Jimmy cater the evening's festivities. The furniture for their new house a few miles away finally arrived, which meant they didn't have to burden Alex anymore by borrowing her apartment. Of course, Alex and Jimmy had been overseas on a mission the whole time, so it wasn't much of a burden. Tonight was a 'welcome back' gathering, only Sarah didn't realize Jimmy had ordered deep-dish pizza mailed to them from an actual Chicago pizzeria. He even special-ordered one for her: vegetarian with no olives. She was grateful for that, as it was a lot harder to pick olives out of a deep-dish pizza. However, she was already dreading how much exercise she'd have to do to work this off.

"OK, so…" Chuck started tiredly.

"What?" Jimmy asked.

"Um…I forgot what I was going to say."

Jimmy nodded in sympathy. "I know. It's like trying to do some family activity right after Thanksgiving dinner is over. Only, you can fake your way through Thanksgiving. Just take little things here and there. Deep-dish pizza…you can't hide from that. It'll get you."

Alex smiled. "If you think it's bad now, there are two frozen ones left for you to take home."

"Ugh, you are truly evil, Alex," Sarah grumbled. She was never one for jealousy, but Alex had some sort of ability to eat like she was at a tailgate party and still look runway-model thin. Maybe it had something to do with Alex spending her entire life in athletics, whereas Sarah got most of her physical training since she started college. It drove Sarah crazy; not even Jimmy ate as much as Alex did tonight.

"Hey, it was James' idea. Actually, it's partly your own fault. You knew he used to play football. How did you think he'd react to his team being on national TV?"

Alex turned to Jimmy. "And getting their ass kicked, I might add."

"Ahh, lighten up. They can still come back."

Alex checked the score. The Eagles were up 24-7 with ten minutes left in the game. "Oh, definitely. One or two more touchdowns and they may actually have a shot at this."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. And how many Super Bowls have the Eagles won? Oh, that's right. They haven't. Way to invest all that money on McNabb for a decade."

"Wasn't he born and raised in Chicago?" Alex countered with a cocky grin.

"And on that note…" Chuck said tiredly as he got up with considerable effort. Sarah held her hands out, and Chuck pulled her up as well. "We have to get our beauty sleep before work tomorrow. Unlike other people, who get to have the day off," he muttered with a sideways glance at Jimmy and Alex.

"Hey, we just got back from overseas," Jimmy protested. "We deserve a day off."

The four walked to the door and exchanged hugs.

"You two drive safely," Jimmy told Chuck and Sarah.

"We will," Sarah replied. "We'll come back for the pizza later, if that's OK."

"It's fine, Sarah," Alex replied. "I've got plenty of room in the freezer. A lot less frozen dinners in there since we vowed to cook actual meals."

"Good night."

"Good night," Chuck replied. "Thanks for having us over."

Chuck and Sarah walked out, and Jimmy locked the door behind them. He turned to see Alex with a big smile on her face.

"What?" he asked in confusion before he figured it out. "I have to pay up now? The game isn't even over yet!"

"The game was over after the first quarter, babe."

"OK, what did you have in mind?"

"Mmm, I tell you what. Why don't you clean up the living room while I get ready."

Alex retreated to the bedroom, leaving an extremely-irked Jimmy in the living room. He picked up the plates, glasses, and beer bottles that littered the room and put them in the garbage. He wrapped the leftover pizza in Reynolds Wrap and put it in the refrigerator. If nothing else, at least he had lunch for the next few days.

"You can come in," Alex called from the bedroom.

Jimmy exhaled in frustration and walked into the bedroom. A massage table was set up in the room. The lights were out, and several candles were lit to provide the most minimal light. Alex had some smooth jazz playing on the radio, and she was clad in her favorite robe with her hair back in a ponytail.

He should have seen this one coming from a mile away. "You had this planned the whole time?"

Alex shrugged and smiled. "What can I say? I got a really good price on the massage table."

She slowly walked up to Jimmy. "Now I know there's something in that Intersect that will tell you how to give a good massage."

"So, just because I have all this knowledge in my head, that means I have to cater to your every whim?"

Alex raised an eyebrow and undid the sash on her robe. The robe fell to the ground.

Jimmy glared at her. "OK, if you think you can coerce me into do your bidding by standing there naked, then…yeah, you're right."

Alex smiled and gave him a sensual kiss, her tongue playing with his inside their joined mouths. "You're such a pushover," she purred.

Alex lay face-down on the massage table. Jimmy took a bottle of oil from a holder attached to the side. He got some of it on his hands and rubbed them together to warm it up. Alex pulled her ponytail to one side to give Jimmy access to her shoulders. Jimmy started running his hands over her shoulder blades and upper back, causing Alex to moan with satisfaction.

"Mmmm, you are really good at this. The Intersect pays off yet again."

"Actually, this is all me," Jimmy replied.

"Really? I'm impressed." Alex paused for a moment. "Wait, how long have you known how to give a massage?"

Jimmy worked down her spinal column. "Not very long. Actually, I was studying it on the flights to and from Malaysia."

"But why bother studying when you probably have the information in your head and you just have to access it?"

Jimmy shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I thought you'd appreciate it more if I 'earned my keep', as it were."

Alex turned slightly, pulled Jimmy to her, and gave him a kiss. "I do, James."

Jimmy went to work on her arms. "I probably should have learned sooner. You said Sarah did that to distract me last year in Las Vegas so I'd be less nervous."

"She did. She just didn't realize you'd be so good at it." Alex exhaled in utter bliss as Jimmy started massaging her legs. "Wow. I can't believe this is the first time you're doing this. I'm going to have to get you to massage me every week."

Jimmy quietly groaned. "Oh, you'd be fully compensated for your efforts," Alex teased.

"Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it."

Alex laughed as she turned over to lie on her back. Jimmy paused momentarily to admire her form.

"Hey, enough with the sightseeing," Alex playfully barked with an emphasis on her Northeast accent. "I paid for the full hour, pal."

Jimmy smiled and went back to work massaging Alex. "If someone told me two years ago I'd be massaging an incredibly beautiful woman like you, much less be in love with her, I'd have told them they should cut back on whatever it was they were smoking."

"Never say never, I guess. It's a lesson I had to learn. I was…too set in my ways. I didn't think I would get another chance. To be honest, I wasn't even seeking one."

"I know I wasn't. I just stumbled ass-backwards into all of this. It's still hard for me to believe sometimes. I mean, seriously, I don't even think the quarterback of my high school football team dated anybody as hot as you."

Alex smiled. "I actually dated our high school quarterback a few times. He was one of the few guys in school who wasn't intimidated by me. Trust me; you're much more handsome than him, with the added bonus you're the complete opposite of a conceited jerk."

Jimmy gave a quiet laugh. "I'm not sure if that's necessarily a good thing. It's something of a character flaw with everybody I know."

"Look, everybody thinks you're a really amazing person, and it hurts us that you don't feel the same way. But you are getting better. You're a lot more sure of yourself than you were last year when we first worked together. I had to read you the riot act in the bar that night in Manhattan, remember?" Jimmy nodded. "I think the more experience you got, the more confident you became."

Jimmy continued to massage Alex. She opened her eyes and gave him an odd glance. "What are you doing?"

Jimmy was confused. "What do you mean?"

Alex took Jimmy's hands and slid them over her breasts. "I want the full-service massage, mister."

He shook his head and exhaled. "You're so picky."

Jimmy's body brushed up against Alex's arm as he moved downward to massage her. She reached down to feel what it was and arched a playful eyebrow. "Well, unless that's the remote control in your pocket, I'd say you're OK with this," she said in a sultry voice.

Jimmy continued the massage per Alex's orders. His hands proceeded down her body. She closed her eyes and became short of breath as Jimmy's magic hands did their job to perfection, making her cry out in pleasure.

Suddenly she bolted up, grabbed Jimmy, and began kissing him like there was no tomorrow. She quickly shed him of his Bears jersey and pants.

"I take it the massage was satisfactory?" Jimmy said as he was taken by surprise.

Alex pressed her naked form against his. "Like you wouldn't believe," she said huskily as she pushed him down on the table and got on top of him.

_**Long Beach Harbor, Los Angeles  
>November 7, 2011<br>9:30 PM PDT**_

Yuji Okumoto looked at the men Jorge Valderas brought with him to the port. He didn't think much of them, as they were the very definition of a loose-knit group. They had little honor; just a bunch of punks making a few bucks by selling drugs to people who couldn't afford them and intimidating people who didn't deserve their antagonism in the first place. Okumoto had a lot more respect for the crime families who actually built something; he had seen every_ Godfather_ movie at least a half-dozen times. He admired the old families of Prohibition-era New York and Chicago, back in the days where the common man actually feared them instead of looked on them with scorn. Like the organization to which he belonged, they actually created a business as opposed to having pissing contests over a few square blocks of 'turf'.

"Can we make an arrangement?" Okumoto asked Valderas. Despite being reviled by Japanese society, he was continually grateful for the education they made him endure. He spoke English, Spanish, and French fluently.

"This is some impressive hardware," Valderas replied. "Everything we need."

Valderas handed Okumoto a slip of paper, which Okumoto read. His expression didn't change, but Okumoto's men knew what his reaction was to Valderas' offer.

"You insult me by making a low offer like this?" Okumoto replied.

Valderas grinned, showing off several gold teeth. "Here's the way I see it. You have a dozen crates of weapons, armament, and ammunition. But they're just that; in crates." He nodded, and everyone in Valderas' crew pulled out their guns. "We, on the other hand, are strapped and ready to go. And we'll be happy to just take those crates off your hands if our price is a bit low."

Okumoto took two steps towards Valderas, and his lips turned up in a tiny smile. He then grabbed the wrist holding the gun and twisted it around and backwards. Valderas screamed as he heard bones break, but he was quickly silenced as Okumoto grabbed his neck and jerked his hand hard. Valderas collapsed into a heap as Okumoto spun and landed a kick to another of Valderas' men, connecting directly with the man's throat. Okumoto then took Valderas' gun and fired at third man, the shot landing right between his eyes.

Okumoto looked at the remaining members of Valderas' gang with a peaceful calm as he swept the gun slowly back and forth. All of them, already paralyzed with fear at seeing three of their fellow gang members murdered within a few seconds, dropped their weapons and ran.

Okumoto looked at the weapon he took from Valderas and casually tossed it into the harbor. He motioned to his men, who grabbed the three dead bodies and dragged them to the edge of the pier, throwing them into the Pacific. It was a wasted night. But Okumoto always heard America was the land of opportunity. And there was plenty of time.

Thirty yards away, two men in a van saw the three men murdered. In their incoherent state, it was like watching a Michael Mann film.

_**Office of the Director of National Intelligence  
>November 8, 2011<br>1:00 PM EDT**_

"With respect, General, you told us specifically to take a few days off. It's only been one day."

"I understand, Agent Forrest." General Diane Beckman tried to remain patient. After all, Agents Forrest and Slade rescued her in New York three weeks ago and brought down one of the biggest criminals in the Far East almost a month ahead of schedule. "However, we have a potentially-delicate situation brewing. And I need…why are you dressed like that, Agent Slade?"

Jimmy sat next to Alex in the foulest of moods. The dyed green hair was bad enough, as he felt frivolities like that should be restricted to St. Patrick's Day. But the green Michael Vick jersey was crossing a line.

"I paid the bet back last night, or did you forget?" Jimmy growled at Alex.

"Oh, you mean…that?" Alex innocently asked. "I never actually said that was how you were going to pay the bet. You simply assumed it."

Beckman tried not to smile. Ordinarily, she would have preferred Agent Forrest get knocked down a peg. As good of an agent as she was, she was also considerably arrogant. However, the dyed green hair and reddening face on Agent Slade was doing the trick quite nicely.

"Let me guess; you two bet on the football game last night." Jimmy sighed in frustration. "I think we better send you for a neurophysical exam, Agent Slade. I'm not particularly thrilled our most powerful asset just got…what is it the kids say these days? Lawyered?…by his own girlfriend."

Jimmy slunk in his chair, his headache having more than quadrupled since waking up this morning.

"What is the issue, General?" Jimmy grumbled.

Beckman straightened in her chair, grateful they could get down to business. "An hour ago, I got off the phone with a former agent. He called me to report some 'unusual behavior' in two individuals with whom both of you are familiar. They were telling some unusual stories about something that happened at Long Beach Harbor last night. Ordinarily we'd take this with a considerable grain of salt, but Homeland Security sent us surveillance footage from the harbor."

Beckman slid a file over to Alex and Jimmy. "We believe some sort of arms deal may have gone down there last night."

Jimmy took the folder and started leafing through the pictures inside of it. He stopped at one particular picture and had a flash.

He held up the picture for General Beckman. "This is Yuji Okumoto. He's a member of the Yakuza in Japan, a _kyodai_ in the Sumiyoshi-Rengo family, if I remember correctly. He redefines the term badass."

"He's here in the United States?" Alex asked.

"It would appear so. If he is, the Yakuza are attempting to spread their influence into new circles. They don't have much of a foothold as of yet in the U.S., and obviously we wish to keep it that way."

"So you suspect what this former agent told you about these two people is more than just a story?"

"That's what I want you two to find out. We've been receiving reports from the Los Angeles Police that chatter has picked up among several high-profile gangs in the area. This supposed 'arms deal' may have gone badly, and a few of the higher-ups in one of these gangs have disappeared. I want to end this before something more violent starts and puts innocent people in the crossfire."

"We should start with the two people who may have witnessed it. Who are they?" Jimmy asked.

Alex and Jimmy were shocked to see General Beckman smile. She handed a folder to them. Jimmy opened it so Alex could look as well.

"Aaah, hell," Jimmy growled.

"You HAVE to be kidding," Alex said in equal disbelief.

"I assure you I am not," Beckman replied. "You're going to Burbank to see just how much Jeff Barnes and Lester Patel know."


	2. Guns, G Strings, and Grain Alcohol

_Finally, I get the next chapter published. I'm sorry it took so long, but work interfered with my writing and I was in Chicago for a few days working on the condominium I own up there. I moved to Charlotte for a job five years ago, but I kept the condo, mainly because the real estate market took a dive six months after I moved. Take a guess whether I'm still at that same job._

_Anyway, enough about that. Hopefully this chapter will give you a few laughs. And there's some action in it as well. And if this was actually a TV show, you'd see a scantily-clad Tricia Helfer. :-D_

_A little reminder on the universe this is set in: Morgan and Anna returned from Hawaii together and got married in my "3 Weddings" story. The Buy More is still there, but Castle is being boarded up since it's no longer needed. Casey retired once Chuck got the Intersect out and married Ilsa Trinchina. And who knows who may show up in this story._

_Anyway, hope you enjoy. Please leave some reviews. _

* * *

><p><em><strong>W Hotel, Los Angeles<br>November 8, 2011  
>6:30 PM PST<strong>_

Alex took a look out over Los Angeles from their 10th floor window. One of her unbreakable rules was to always get a hotel suite that gave her the best view for wherever she was staying. In Los Angeles, she wanted to see the ocean. L.A. wasn't known for its skyline, and Alex had been to New York, London, and Paris enough times where the skyline of the City of Angels didn't really compare, although the beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean certainly made up for that. She made a mental note to visit Chicago with Jimmy next spring. Despite how he grew up, he still had a considerable affinity for that town, just like she was often homesick for Philadelphia. She had never been to Chicago, and she wanted to know what the big deal about it was.

"I have never been shoved out of Beckman's office faster when given a mission," she quietly groused as she looked over at Jimmy, who was doing some research on his computer.

Jimmy looked up from his computer with an annoyed air. "I don't suppose it had anything to do with the fact that I had green hair and a Michael Vick jersey on, did it?" He was still in a robe after taking a shower, his third of the day because he couldn't be convinced he got all the green paint out of his hair.

"She must be a big-time Redskins fan."

"That or she really, really loves dogs."

"She's been known to dump ridiculous cases in my lap before. This is no different." Alex huffed silently and went over to Jimmy, massaging his shoulders as she looked at his work on the computer.

"Mmmm, no starting anything you can't finish," Jimmy droned in pleasure as his head dropped from Alex's work on him.

She planted a few kisses on the back of his neck and gave his ear a playful bite. "Who says I won't finish it?" she hotly whispered in his ear.

"Because we have a lot to do to figure out how to work our way back into Jeff and Lester's lives."

"True." She gave Jimmy a quick kiss and pulled out a chair next to his computer. She sat down and was surprised. Jimmy still hadn't raised his head.

"James?"

Jimmy shook off his fatigue and looked up at her. "Sorry. You did too good of a job on my shoulders."

Alex exhaled tiredly. "On the flight home, I'm giving you something to help you sleep. How can planes make you nervous? You jumped out of an 87-story building with me hanging on to you. A little bit of turbulence shouldn't faze you."

Jimmy looked down. "It's a weird phobia to have, I know."

Alex lifted his chin so he was looking at her again. "Lots of people are afraid to fly. It's only odd because you've done stuff far more dangerous than that." Alex suddenly became concerned. "It's not the Intersect that's bothering you, is it?"

Jimmy shook his head. "The Intersect doesn't make it easier, but I was a nervous flyer before I got it."

He gave her a kiss. "Let's not worry about it now. I can't do anything about it, and we have to get to Jeff and Lester as quickly as we can."

Alex shook her head in frustration. "Honestly, I can't see any scenario where they wouldn't figure out we're with the CIA."

"They never saw you at Chuck and Sarah's wedding, right?"

"No, I stayed in the beach house until I came to talk to you on the road, right before The Ring attacked. They never saw me. Unless we missed something, I'm still a stripper to them."

"And they only know me as the guy who helped in the Nerd Herd eight months ago. For about two weeks."

"I think we'll have to play it straight-up; tell them who we are and why we're here."

"But that throws too many questions out there. Those two won't stop until they get to the bottom of it, and they may involve more people from the Buy More who don't know, like Anna or Big Mike. We can't risk anybody finding out about Morgan, Casey, or Ellie and Devon. Those two knowing might even put Chuck and Sarah back in danger."

"I think the risk is minimal. The Ring doesn't exist anymore, and we know the Sumiyoshi-Rengo family doesn't know about the Intersect project; certainly not you."

Jimmy sat for a moment. Suddenly a smile spread across his face.

"What?" Alex asked.

"I think I know a way we can do this. That is, if you're OK letting them continue to think you're a stripper."

Alex was hesitant. "I'm not sure where you're going with this."

"We do a little divide-and-conquer. I can get Jeff nicely medicated to loosen him up, and you can do…whatever it takes…to get Lester under your control and talking."

Alex glared at him. "Please tell me the Intersect didn't give you that idea."

"We can have Morgan help us from inside the Buy More. While I'm setting that up, you can do a little field work and see where Homeland and the L.A.P.D. are on this case."

"James, it's ridiculous. It will never work."

"Hmmm, someone is a lot less cocky than they were last night when they were trash-talking about their precious football team," Jimmy teased.

"OK, this is real life and lives are on the line," Alex said obstinately.

"Look, I'm confident we can pull this off. We can get to Okumoto without Jeff and Lester ever figuring out we're spies. I mean, don't you prefer seeing confidence like that coming from me?"

Alex looked at him for a moment. Jimmy did have a point. Although she thought the risk to the people she now considered friends was not vast, a risk still existed. But if Jimmy's idea worked, their real identities would be protected. Plus, Jimmy was trying this new puppy-dog pleading look. She would never admit it to him, of course, but she couldn't resist when he did that.

"Are you willing to put your money where your mouth is, Mr. Slade?" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow.

Jimmy grinned. "I have every intention of getting my payback for the green hair and the Vick jersey, missy."

"Fine, you call the shots. But when our cover is blown, today's humiliation will pale in comparison to what I have in store for you."

"OK, but you have to do everything according to plan. No sabotaging it."

"James, I'm not going to jeopardize a mission just because I want to win a bet from you."

Jimmy put a hand up. "I take that back. OK, so the bet is a successful mission without anybody new knowing we really work for the CIA."

"Done," Alex replied confidently as she held her pinky finger out.

"Done," Jimmy replied with equal confidence as he did a pinky swear with Alex.

"So, what's the plan?"

"OK, the first step is for me to meet with Morgan. In the meantime, you'll track down the team in the L.A.P.D. investigating the case. Find out what they know and let's make sure this doesn't explode into a full-scale war before we can do anything about it." Jimmy went to his garment bag and pulled out his best suit. He also retrieved his old Buy More ID card from his briefcase. "Just to be safe, as far as Big Mike knows, Roger Murdock got a promotion."

Alex moved over to Jimmy's computer. "I'll check the files from the L.A.P.D. and set up an appointment with their investigative unit. I'll pretend I'm with the ATF. Unless, of course, that's against the rules," she said with a bit of a tease.

Jimmy smiled. "As long as they don't know we're spies, pretend to be anything you want." He walked into the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" Alex asked.

"Uh…to change?" Jimmy replied.

"You can do that out here."

Jimmy emerged from the bathroom with a smirk. "Gee, I can't imagine why you'd want me to do that."

"What, you think only guys like it when women take off their clothes? That works both ways, babe."

Jimmy rolled his eyes and started to take off the robe, obnoxiously belting out a striptease tune as he did.

"Very funny," Alex said.

"Hey, you're the one who wanted me to change out here."

Alex got up and put her arms around Jimmy. "A little advice: when your girlfriend wants to see you naked, you get naked."

"Duly noted," Jimmy replied as he kissed her. She pressed into his muscular form as their kissing increased in vigor. Alex ran her hands over Jimmy's body, slipping one hand inside his boxers.

"OK, this meeting will be delicate enough already. I really don't want to have to explain that to Morgan."

Alex wiggled her eyebrows. "Then, I guess we'll have to fix that."

_**Buy More  
>November 8, 2011<br>8:00 PM PST**_

Jimmy kept a low profile as he walked into the Buy More. He hoped he would spot Morgan first so they could just go to his office and speak undisturbed, or perhaps even down in Castle, which was in the process of being torn down following Chuck and Sarah's retirement from the field.

"MURDOCK!"

_So much for staying out of sight_, Jimmy lamented to himself as Big Mike's booming voice found him barely twenty feet from the store entrance.

"Mike, it's good to see you again," Jimmy said as Big Mike walked up. They shook hands.

"Saw you at Bartowski's and Blondie's wedding. You were dancing with this really tall drink of water. Sophisticated-looking lady."

"Yes. Alex Forrest is her name."

"I kept getting a déjà vu all night about that lady. I swear I've seen her before. Still dating her?"

Jimmy nodded with a smile. "Yes, I am. Things are going well."

Big Mike gave him a weird look. "Must be going very well. I don't remember you cracking a smile the whole time you were here last March. And now that I think about it, why are you here? I thought you quit."

"Well, I did. But then I got a call from the CEO himself."

Big Mike stepped back. "Moses Finklestein talked to you?"

"I guess he heard about me fixing all of those computers in just a week. He went all Vito Corleone on me and kept me in the company. I've been supervising the remodeling of a couple of stores in San Francisco since the spring. Now they've moved me over to a different role."

"What is that?"

"They…send me out to the all the stores to assess personnel."

That stopped Big Mike cold. "Who…who's getting fired?"

"I'm just here to take a look around, Mike. I first have to speak to Morgan Grimes."

Big Mike became more nervous. "Wait, that didn't answer my question. Why do you have to speak to Morgan? Did…did he call you? This isn't about that raise I didn't give him, is it? I mean, the store's barely squeaking by and I didn't give raises to anybody…"

"I can't say. Sorry." Jimmy waved as he spotted Morgan at the other end of the store. "Excuse me, Mike."

Jimmy crossed the store as Jeff and Lester walked up to Big Mike.

"I thought Morgan was locking up tonight," Lester said in an accusatory tone, which got Big Mike out of his worry in an instant.

"He is. He pulls his weight around here, which is more than I can say for the two of you!"

"Well, as stimulating as it would be to listen to you yell at us all night, we have places to be. Come on, Jeffrey."

"We're gonna hit the town hard. Show it no mercy," Jeff slurred, having gotten an early start to his evening.

"What? Just…go! Beat it!" Big Mike yelled in revulsion. Jeff and Lester departed. Big Mike took a last look at Jimmy walking over to Morgan before turning and exiting the store, arming the doors as he left.

Jimmy checked over his shoulder to make sure everybody was gone. "Hey, Morgan. Good to see you again," Jimmy said as the two men hugged.

"Jimmy, you look…well, you look amazing. I mean, George Clooney amazing. Seriously, you should be at the blackjack table at Caesar's right now."

"Thanks. How's Anna doing?"

"Oh, she's great. She's visiting her parents right now."

"Without you?"

"Well, they weren't thrilled with me the first time I met them. We both figured being married wouldn't help that, so she went on her own. Besides, one of us has to hold down the fort, make sure Big Mike doesn't have to go out into the store and do actual work."

"Do you get to lock up tonight?"

"Oh, uh yeah. Mike wanted me to. I think he and my mom like to watch both _NCIS_ shows and then…" Morgan started to grimace.

"'Nuff said," Jimmy replied. "I was a bit surprised you were the one to call Beckman about Jeff and Lester."

"Well, you know, they took out the last of the equipment from Castle, and the place is being sealed up this week. But Jeff and Lester, they've been acting weird today. And worse than they normally do. I mean, what's going on? Did they actually see something?"

Morgan and Jimmy walked back to the employee break room. Morgan took a key out of his pocket and opened the soda machine. He took a grape soda for himself and handed Jimmy a diet soda. They sat down at one of the tables as Jimmy showed Morgan the picture.

"That's what Beckman is afraid of," Jimmy said. "This guy here is a member of the Yakuza in Japan. Yuji Okumoto is his name. Think of someone with Jackie Chan's skills but with the attitude of Hans Gruber."

"Whoah, that is nasty. So, what is he doing here?"

"Maybe you could tell us. What did Jeff and Lester claim they saw last night?"

"To be honest, they didn't really go into specifics. They said they were at Long Beach Harbor and saw something that looked like it was straight out of a movie. Of course, nobody really paid much attention. It could have been a Pixar movie, for all anybody cared about what those two do after hours."

Jimmy exhaled. "Damn, I was hoping for more of an idea. Think you can give Alex and me a hand?"

"Anything, man. It feels so weird not doing spy stuff anymore. What, are we going to lock them up? Give them a dose of truth serum? Oooh, you should call John Casey, 'cause I'll bet he'd love to…"

"Morgan," Jimmy interrupted him. "We have to do this without letting them know Alex and I are really agents or you used to be one. That would put everybody at risk: Casey, Ilsa, Ellie, Awesome, even Chuck and Sarah."

"Yeah, but if they know you as someone who used to work here and Alex is still a stripper to them, how are you going to get them to talk?"

Jimmy hesitated. "Well, let's just say it's a good thing Anna's out of the country."

_**TGI Friday's  
>November 8, 2011<br>9:15 PM PST**_

Morgan and Jimmy entered the restaurant and looked around. They didn't have to search hard to find Jeff and Lester: the revolted looks by the other patrons pointed them in the right direction.

"Dude, I'm still not sure about this," Morgan whispered.

"Look, I'm sorry you have to play the whipped husband here, but we need a way to get them to Alex. This will work. Trust me."

"OK, OK. I'm just…"

"What are you worried about? You were surrounded by government agents all that time and nobody found out about them." Morgan gave him a glare. "Well, it wasn't your fault."

Morgan approached Jeff and Lester, who were making a spectacle of themselves with a fried mozzarella appetizer.

"Guys," Morgan announced to get their attention.

"Hey, away with you," Lester said with a wave of his hand. "This is our leisure time. You can't be bossing us around."

"Actually, I brought an old friend by to join us," Morgan replied as he gestured to Jimmy. "You guys remember Ji…Roger, right?"

Jeff put his face inches from Jimmy's. "Dude, do you have any more of that orange medicine you gave me at Cedars-Sinai last month? I think I took too much last week and I had the weirdest…"

"Jeff!" Morgan interrupted him. "He's not that guy. Not…that I even want to know who that guy is. It's Roger Murdock. He used to help in the Nerd Herd, remember?"

"Ah, yes. Now I remember," Lester replied. "Couldn't handle the pressure. Is that right, Rog?"

"Uh, better check the attitude, Lester. He works directly for the boss now."

"You think Big Mike intimidates me?"

"No, THE boss. Moses Finklestein."

Lester straightened up and dropped the façade. "Good to see you again, Roger." He turned away from Jimmy to take a sip from his drink. "The Man just has it in for Hinjew Canadians," he muttered.

"So what are you doing here?" Jeff managed to eke out through the haze.

"I'm just visiting some of the Buy Mores in the area, just to report on some matters of personnel for Moses," Jimmy replied. "Nothing serious. Don't worry; nobody here is on the chopping block."

The bartender came up to them. "Can I get you anything?" she asked Jimmy, relieved she could wait on some less-scary patrons.

Jimmy walked over to the bar and pointed to the table where the guys were sitting. "Another round please. Morgan, what are you drinking?"

"Oooh, a margarita sounds good," he replied.

"Margarita for him, and just keep the drinks coming. And a couple of those sampler appetizer plates you guys have."

The bartender looked warily at Jeff and Lester. "Are you sure…" she started.

Jimmy nodded and smiled. "Not to worry; I'm the designated driver tonight." He locked eyes with her and slid his credit card over. "I'm good at taking care of people," he said in a soothing voice.

The bartender smiled back. "You got it, sweetie." She went to make the drinks as Jimmy turned around towards Morgan, Jeff, and Lester again.

_Did I just flirt my way through that?_ he thought. _Wow, I must be getting better._

Jimmy returned to the table as the drinks were brought to them.

"Thank you, Roger," Morgan replied as he took his margarita. Jeff and Lester took their drinks as well.

Jimmy pretended to stifle a yawn. "A bit tired are we, Roger?" Lester asked in a snappish voice.

"Yeah, some. I've been dating this woman for a little while, and she doesn't like that I travel so much for my job. We had a bit of an argument about it last night that lasted 'til the wee hours."

"I hear that, my friend. Preaching to the choir."

Morgan gave Lester a weird look. "And what girlfriend do you have?"

"I have you know I have been with many, many women throughout my life and thus have vast knowledge of relationships and can sympathize with Mr. Murdock's plight."

"Including one or two he didn't even have to inflate," Jeff added, which made Morgan and Jimmy break into hysterical laughter.

"Oh, and what makes you more of an expert?" Lester darted at Morgan.

Morgan held up his ring finger to show his wedding band. "Uh, I made it into the club, remember? You even sang at the reception…for about ten seconds."

"So I should defer to you on matters of long-term relationships, right?" Jimmy asked.

Jeff gave a Bronx cheer of disbelief. "Dude, what's with the Niagara Falls imitation?" Jimmy said in disgust as he wiped his face off with a napkin.

Jeff pointed to Morgan, although his index finger was about as steady as a rowboat in a hurricane. "He's so whipped."

"I am not."

"Anna totally has you by the balls, amigo," Lester said with a smug gaze. "She owns you."

"She does not own me. You two don't know the first thing about marriage."

Out of sight of Jeff and Lester, Jimmy dialed a number on his mobile phone.

"I am my own man, and I don't have to answer to Anna every waking…" Morgan was interrupted by his ringing phone. He answered it. "Hey, sweetie. No, no, just having some dinner. Love you, too." Morgan turned off the phone quickly and hung his head.

"Totally whipped!" Lester proclaimed to the entire restaurant.

"Hey just because my wife calls doesn't mean I'm whipped!"

"Then prove it," Jeff slurred.

"I don't have to prove anything to either of you."

"He's so whipped," Lester said to Jimmy. "The little Mrs. has him chained to her side at every waking moment, even when she's halfway around the world. She wouldn't even let him have a bachelor party."

"You didn't have a bachelor party?" Jimmy asked Morgan.

"Man was too chicken to have one," Jeff droned.

"OK, fine!" Morgan exclaimed. "Anna's out of town, we'll go tomorrow night. It'll be worth it just to get the two of you off my back."

Jeff and Lester's eyes lit up. "Grimes growing some backbone," Lester teased. "I'm impressed."

"OK, we'll find a place," Jimmy announced. "And it will be classy, so everybody has to wear nice threads tomorrow. We'll meet at the Buy More right after it closes and head out. Sound good?"

Lester put his hand up. "Fair enough, we will defer to the judgment of the man in the sharp suit."

"Jeff?" Jimmy tried to get his attention. "Jeff?"

"It's gonna be off the chain," Jeff slurred as he tried to give a high-five to Jimmy…and tumbled off his chair, passing out on the floor of the restaurant.

"I think it's time we called it a night," Morgan said as he looked in semi-pity at Jeff passed out on the floor.

"Yeah, uh, maybe I should drive," Jimmy replied as he looked down at the ground at Jeff.

Morgan, Jimmy, and Lester pulled Jeff off of the ground and led him to Jimmy's car. They threw Jeff in the back, and Lester got in next to him, who was struggling a bit to stay upright himself.

"Wow, nice work with the cell phone," Morgan said, very impressed by Jimmy's ability to think on his feet.

"I figured a well-timed call by your better half would seal the deal."

"Did you get the bill?"

"All paid for," Jimmy replied as he held up his receipt. He frowned. "And the bartender wrote something extra on there."

Morgan took the receipt and his eyes threatened to bulge out of their sockets. "Dude, did you she what she wrote? That girl has one filthy mind. You should go out with her just to see if she can really bend that way!"

"I think I'll pass, if it's all the same to you. I don't see Alex liking that."

"Seriously, Jimmy, you've done a total 180. I get to work with a real-life James Bond. It's so cool to be part of a mission again," Morgan beamed.

"Uh, yeah. This guy, Okumoto, kills people with his bare hands for a living. You sure you find that cool?"

Morgan was instantly humbled. "Well, I should…let you deal with that part. I'll…just keep Jeff and Lester from finding out about all of us."

Jimmy nodded and smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

_**Long Beach, CA  
>November 9, 2011<br>10:00 AM PST**_

Alex walked into the Long Beach Police Department to have a talk with Detective John LaRusso, who was heading the investigation into what happened on the docks two nights ago. Jimmy was set up on his end, although she was dreading having to pretend to be a stripper tonight. Although it wouldn't be the first time…or even the ninth or tenth time…she had to pose as one, no female agent ever went into that kind of assignment thinking it will be a fun night. Even more aggravating was having to get close to either of those despicable individuals. She always regretted not causing more physical damage to Jeff and Lester that night at the Buy More when she had to get Devon Woodcomb alone to steal his ID card. But work was work and she got the job done, although these days she regretted the fallout Devon went through with Ellie concerning that night.

At least tonight, Jimmy would be in the audience and have to pretend to not know her. That could potentially make the night a little less trying.

"Good morning," a man in his late forties said to Alex as he walked up to her.

She turned to the voice and suppressed a smile. If is wasn't for the fire-red hair, he'd be almost a dead ringer for John Casey. She rose and shook hands.

"Detective LaRusso, a pleasure. Allison Mills, ATF," Alex said crisply as she showed LaRusso her ATF badge, one of many different law enforcement identities Alex kept on her at all times.

"You can call me John," LaRusso replied. "Glad you made it here. Traffic wasn't too bad?"

"I've been to L.A. a few times, so I was ready," Alex replied dismissively.

LaRusso gestured towards the offices behind the main desk in the precinct and Alex followed closely behind him. They went into a smaller set of offices away from public view. LaRusso sat at one of the three desks in the room and pointed at the chair next to it. Alex sat down and took a look around the office. She remembered visiting her father's precinct a few times as a child; thankfully, none of them against her will. Apart from the sunshine and the palm tree right outside their window, this room could have easily been in Philadelphia.

"I'm sure you're accustomed to meeting with federal law agencies, John," Alex started.

He nodded. "Yup. Love to play 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours' with the Feds. So who goes first today?"

Alex cracked a slight smile. "My dad was a beat cop in Philly. You sound like you could be working a desk there."

"Close, Boston. Worked the North End for fifteen years; ended with a medical retirement when some punk shot me in the knee. Of course, nobody expected surgery to advance so much." He tapped his left knee. "Twenty-year guarantee, feels better than the original. Started to miss working the streets, but I didn't miss the weather up there, so the wife and I moved out here. She loves it; does a lot of volunteer work for the L.A. Unified School System."

"Well, how about you start? A lot more than an arms deal happened the other night, I'm guessing. We've been hearing reports of some missing higher-ups in one of the gangs out here?"

LaRusso nodded. "We listed them as missing because we don't need a war on the streets, but that's only gonna last for so long. We kept the lid on the cornoner's report because how these three died, it's…well, this wasn't some roll through the wrong neighborhood flashing gang signs at each other."

"What do you mean?"

"One of them had his neck snapped and his Adam's apple was heavily damaged. One of them had a crushed larynx with a partial shoeprint on the point of impact. The last one took a 9 mm round right between the eyes. It was close range, but whoever shot him was either lucky or as good as the best snipers we have in the department."

LaRusso sat back in his chair. "I certainly hope what you got is dynamite, because we've got a shitstorm brewing and I want it to go away before it ever starts."

Alex shook her head and handed LaRusso the picture of Okumoto. "I wish I could say the news was good."

"I've seen this picture. We ran it through NCIC but didn't get a hit."

"I have a few friends in…other agencies…and this person wouldn't show up on any U.S. database. He's Yuji Okumoto, a member of one of the most powerful families in the Yakuza in Japan. We suspect he was trying to broker an arms deal and it went sour. Believe me; you don't want him on the loose."

LaRusso exhaled in frustration. "OK, we'll put out an APB on him, tell our men to proceed with extreme caution…"

"No, John," Alex interrupted him with a firm voice. "I'm working with a few federal departments to bring him on a weapons charge, and we have intel there may have been witnesses to the three men being murdered."

"Who are these witnesses?"

"Sorry, I can't divulge that for their safety and the safety of our other agents. But I can tell you we have every intention of capturing Okumoto fast. The National Police Agency in Japan is very interested in getting this guy back alive and finding out everything he knows about the Yakuza."

LaRusso gave a disbelieving chuckle. "This guy will fall on his own knife before they get the chance."

Alex nodded. "Perhaps, but we still need to get him off the streets before you have a full-scale war on your hands. Your department knows the area, and we know about Okumoto. How about we each stick to our strengths and keep the other in the loop?"

LaRusso glared at her. He was never much for having the Feds stick their nose into his city's business, but this woman had a point. The department had enough on their plate with this, and even if they found Okumoto, he'd have to turn him over to the FBI or the ATF anyway. Besides, if a beat cop's daughter could sniff out he was an old hand at this, she deserved some leeway.

"OK, Agent Mills. You run your show; we'll keep the tinderbox around here from being lit."

Alex rose, and LaRusso stood to shake her hand. "Good luck, John," Alex said.

"You, too, Allison. Keep 'em peeled on this one."

Alex turned and left the police station. As she pulled away, a car pulled up to the back entrance of the police station. A man wearing a baseball cap pulled low got out of the car and walked slowly towards the door. He picked the lock and slipped inside the men's locker room. He picked the padlock on one of the lockers and took the wallet and ID inside. He placed the ID on his shirt and slipped into one of the offices. He searched through the wallet to find a card with several passwords on it. Checking to see nobody was around, he accessed the photographs in the police department's systems sent by Homeland Security regarding the incident at Long Beach Harbor the night before last. He spotted something in one of the images and took a few notes.

_**Buy More  
>November 9, 2011<br>8:30 PM PST**_

Jimmy walked to the entrance of the Buy More. Although it was already closed, Morgan was waiting for him and punched the security code to let him in.

"Almost ready?" Jimmy asked.

Morgan looked like a bootlegged copy of _World of Warcraft_ just crashed his computer. "Uh, we may need to make a stop first."

"What do you mean?"

Morgan gestured inside the Buy More towards the Nerd Herd desk. Jimmy started walking in that direction. He shook his head.

"Uh guys? 1975 called. They want their suits back."

"Hey, this is my lucky suit," Jeff intoned in a fuzzy voice.

"And what is wrong with the jacket I'm wearing?" Lester said while staring down Jimmy.

Jimmy tried very hard not to laugh at Lester's Nehru jacket. "Nothing…if you're trying to film the Bollywood version of _Shaft_."

"I can't believe I was talked into this," Morgan muttered quietly.

"Relax, I anticipated every problem," Jimmy replied. He took the garment bags slung over his shoulder and handed them to Jeff and Lester. "Gentlemen, get changed. We're going uptown tonight."

Jeff and Lester took the garment bags and looked at them like a caveman might look at a computer before going to the back to change.

"And wear those properly," Jimmy called to them as they walked to the restroom.

Morgan waited until Jeff and Lester were out of sight. "OK. So, like, how do we do this?"

"Alex is already at the club. We slipped her into the dancers' rotation. I already have four reserved seats by the stage. We'll give Lester a C-note to slip to Alex, and she'll take him off for a private dance. In the meantime, you and I will get Jeff liquored up…even more than usual…and try to see if that puts him in a talking mood."

"You think Alex can get Lester to talk?" Jimmy gave him a look. Morgan rolled his eyes. "Duh, what was I thinking? He was ready to get a sex change and have her babies the last time he saw her."

"Yeah, it should be quite the surprise," Jimmy said with a smile.

They turned when Jeff and Lester emerged from the bathroom. The two strutted slowly and stopped every few steps to strike some manly poses…or at least attempt to strike them.

"Murdock, you are the man!" Lester shouted while raising his fist in the air towards Jimmy. "These outfits totally rock!"

Jeff continued to walk, oblivious to Lester's posing, and tripped over him. Lester looked at him disdainfully as he struggled to get up.

"Well, it's an improvement," Jimmy said quietly to Morgan. The four walked out of the Buy More. Across the parking lot near Underpants, Inc., a man observed them leave.

_**Crystal Palace Gentlemen's Club  
>November 9, 2011<br>9:15 PM PST**_

Morgan, Jimmy, Jeff, and Lester made their way to their reserved seats at the stage. Jimmy was grateful he constantly reminded Jeff and Lester to play it cool on the ride to the club, as he didn't feel comfortable about having to defend Jeff and Lester against a group of bouncers if they got out of hand.

Morgan looked around and attempted to smile despite wanting to be anyplace else in the world. Jeff and Lester thought it was Christmas morning and Santa made his deliveries.

"I once dreamed of a place like this, only a lot seedier," Jeff said. "And my mother was working there."

Lester tapped him on the shoulder. "Jeff, about that being just a dream…"

"Let's…just get to our seats," Morgan said quickly.

They sat down at the stage, and Jimmy ordered a round of drinks. Jeff reached for his change purse.

"Guys, guys," Jimmy quickly stopped them. "We're not sitting next to Al Bundy. This is upscale. Use these instead."

Jeff and Lester's eyes lit up at the two stacks of $20 bills Jimmy handed each of them. Lester immediately put it into the g-string of the closest dancer.

Morgan grabbed his arm. "Hey, hey. Pace yourself, man. We don't have enough to make it rain."

The drinks arrived. Jeff took his and produced a Sam's Club-sized bottle of alcohol from somewhere on his person Jimmy didn't even want to contemplate. One of the bouncers came up to Jeff and glared at him. Jeff was too scared to argue and turned the bottle over to the bouncer.

"Jeffrey!" Lester admonished. "How many times must I tell you we have to be respectful and act like we belong, and…look at the rack on that slut!"

Jimmy leaned over to Jeff and Lester. "I told you guys, I thought of everything." He produced a small flask from his jacket. "A couple of ounces will Irish your drinks right up."

Jeff and Lester held out their drinks for him, and Jimmy added some alcohol to them.

Morgan tapped Jimmy on his other shoulder. "I'm definitely gonna need some of that."

Jimmy gave a quick glance to Jeff and Lester before leaning towards Morgan. "Actually, you don't. Special formula in here. Added a little truth serum to loosen their lips a bit and a nice little memory-eraser for the morning. They'll end up with the worst hangovers of their lives. Then we can tell them any story of our adventures we want."

Morgan nodded. "Dude, that's impressive. You're like Chuck…you know, if Chuck wasn't such a good guy. You got this devious streak I never saw before."

Jimmy laughed quietly. "Yeah, tell Alex that. She still thinks I'm too much of a boy scout."

Morgan pointed to the stage. "Speaking of your girlfriend…"

The MC's voice boomed over the entire club. "Gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to our next dancer. Give it up for…Sydney!"

Alex sashayed out onto the stage with a custom-made tuxedo jacket and shirt tied at her navel, fishnet stockings, and a small top hat holding her hair up. She spun herself around on the first pole before taking two more steps forward and tossing the hat to the crowd, letting her dishwater-blonde hair fall around her. She climbed the second pole and wrapped her legs around it. She leaned back until she was upside down, which allowed the jacket to slide off of her.

"I'm thinking she may have done this before," Morgan whispered to Jimmy.

"If not, she REALLY missed her calling," Jimmy whispered back.

Alex slid down the pole and walked around the stage, stopping occasionally to let some of the patrons put money in her g-string.

"Roger, you know who that is?" Lester was practically jumping up and down. "She was the stripper at Dr. Ken Doll's bachelor party! She was dressed like a cop!"

"You know how many cities I've been arrested in just so I could see her again?" Jeff said in a highly-medicated voice.

Alex made her way around to where the guys were sitting. Jeff and Lester readied their money. Alex slid to the floor in front of Morgan, who begrudgingly held out a $20 for her. She took it in her hand, smiled, gave him a wink, and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks for helping us out. I just hope you're not sleeping on the couch too long," Alex whispered to Morgan. He shook his head and smiled.

Alex crawled on her hands and knees over to Jimmy. His eyes were transfixed on her. She smiled, undid the knot on her shirt and ripped it open right in front of him. Jimmy had the goofiest look on his face, which eventually morphed into an appreciative smile. Alex slid forward, wrapped her legs around him, and held open her garter. Jimmy put in $500 without even thinking. Alex spun around on her hip and took his face in her hands.

"I still don't think this will work, but that look in your eyes is making this so worth it," she purred into his ear before sticking her tongue in.

Alex moved over to Jeff, who could barely move. Alex offered her hip to him, but Jeff sat there in stunned silence with a $50 at the ready. When Alex saw some drool start to form in the corner of his mouth, she took the hand that was holding the $50 and slid the bill into place in her g-string. She tousled Jeff's hair before moving down to Lester. She fixed him with a come-hither look and he caved instantly.

"I've…I've been a bad boy. Such a bad boy." Alex took the proffered bill in her teeth and made a big show of stuffing it down the front of her panties. She then danced away from the guys and picked up her costume as her song ended.

Lester was practically giddy. "Who picked this place?"

"Morgan did, actually," Jimmy replied. Morgan did a double-take but played along.

Lester held out his drink towards Morgan. "Mr. Grimes, you are officially unwhipped. I salute you, sir!"

Morgan smiled as Jimmy and he held up their glasses to toast with Lester. Jeff tried to hold his up, but he was too late and simply toasted air.

"Pretty good," Jimmy said. "That Sydney is really hot."

"Tell me about it, my friend. I can't imagine how this night could get better."

As if on cue, Alex walked up behind the guys. "Well, some of us broke open the piggy bank today," she said with a friendly smile.

"Oh, it's these two," Lester happily replied, almost bouncing off of his chair. "They are the bomb. They're nuclear. You know, we should go to Vegas. Tonight! Like in _Swingers_! They're the Trent; Jeffrey and I are the Mikey."

"Well, before you go, can I interest any of you in a little private dance?"

Jimmy looked over at Lester before rolling his eyes and handing Alex $200. "I think the little puppy over there wants one. We're growing weary of having him sit up and play fetch, although he does like a scratch behind the ears, so FYI..."

Alex took the money and smiled. "Not to worry; I'll take good care of him." She drew her finger along Jimmy's chin. "But I'm saving the best stuff for you."

Alex slowly walked away from Jimmy, swaying her hips back and forth as she took Lester's hand and led him to a private room.

"Another drink, Jeff? Jeff?" Jimmy tried to get Jeff's attention, but he was watching the next dancer on the stage and not paying attention. "Another round," Jimmy told the cocktail waitress, who ran her hand through the back of his hair as she took the money he gave her and got the drinks.

"Good thing Alex didn't see that," Morgan said with a grin.

"What?" Jimmy was confused for a second before figuring it out. "God, right. I still can't believe I have to think about those things now. Usually I have to pay to get women to talk to me. I didn't know you had to pay to get them away from you, too."

"Well, dude, it wasn't like you were actively flirting with her. I don't get it either, but I think when you don't act like you're desperate to find women, that's when women find you."

Jimmy nodded and gave a little laugh. "The irony is, Alex is the one who taught me to flirt."

"Really?"

"It was our first case together in New York. We had to infiltrate a Wall Street brokerage firm, and I had to get this girl who worked there to take me home so we could make sure she slept in the next day. Alex worked on how to pick up a woman with me that entire day in preparation."

"Did it work?"

"Perfectly…right up until the point when she passed out drunk, fell down a flight of stairs and took me with her."

Morgan doubled-over in laughter. "Dude, that's epic, man! That is hysterical."

"Gee, thanks."

"Sorry, man. But it worked, right? She didn't make it in the next day."

Jimmy nodded. "Yeah, it worked." The cocktail waitress delivered the next round of drinks as Jeff was feeling no pain at all.

* * *

><p>Alex led Lester to a chair in the private room. She put his hands on the armrests as a subtle reminder of the club's 'look but don't touch' policy. She started doing a sexy dance in front of him as she slowly removed her top.<p>

"So, do the four of you work together?" she said in a sultry voice.

"Mm-hmm. We work at a Buy…we work in retail." Lester felt himself giving the correct answer but swiftly reworded it to make it sound cooler.

"Sounds like it can be pretty exciting. Think you can get me a discount on a big screen TV?"

"Uh…uh, for you, anything."

"Thanks, baby." Alex ran her cheek against Lester's as she heated her breath and blew a stream of it into his ear. "So what else do you guys do for fun? I've never seen you in here before."

"Well, usually it's just me and Jeff. We, you know, we hang out, sometimes go to the bars. Play videogames." Lester didn't realize he just admitted to be a total nerd, but then he didn't realize he had a healthy dose of truth serum earlier.

"Oh," Alex replied as she tried to give him a pouty expression. She had to admit hers needed work. Arrogance and petulance seldom went together. "Doesn't sound all that exciting."

Suddenly, Lester felt a bit of bravado. "Well, hey, I have you know we saw something really cool the other night."

Alex's eyes lit up as she continued to give Lester a lapdance. Paydirt was fast approaching. "What was that, sweetie?"

"This guy, some Bruce Lee-looking guy. He totally kicked the asses of these three dudes down by the dock. I think he might have even killed them. It was like watching one of those cool blood-and-guts kickboxing movies."

Alex tried to hold her reaction in check. "Wow, that does sound exciting. Did you tell the police?"

"Well, uh, we were going to, but we don't really trust the Five-O, you know?"

Alex nodded. "The guy looked like Bruce Lee? You saw him clearly?"

Lester nodded. "Good looking guy. He could have been one of those guys Jackie Chan defeated in his movies."

Alex finished her lapdance. "Well, sweetie, I hope you enjoyed yourself. I think I'm going to get your other friend and bring him back."

"Ooh, go easy on Jeff. He's not…all there, you know?"

Alex grinned. "Well, I kind of meant the other guy. The one who paid for your lapdance? If he was that generous to take care of you, I can imagine what he might do when I have these long legs wrapped around him." Alex emphasized her point by running her thigh right past Lester's line of vision.

"I'd like…I want…can I keep going?" Lester begged as he attempted to pull out money but only found singles.

"Maybe later, cutie." Alex led him back to the main stage.

* * *

><p>"And it was so awesome," Jeff slurred to Morgan and Jimmy. "He killed these three guys in, like, two seconds. It was so cool. Like seeing one of those kung-fu films. Only, like, real."<p>

Morgan and Jimmy exchanged looks. Jeff confirmed what General Beckman suspected. Alex told Jimmy about LaRusso keeping the three murders under wraps earlier in the day, but both of them knew they were racing against the clock. They needed to find Okumoto and get him off the streets quickly.

"That was so much fun," Lester bellowed as he tried to sit down…only to slip and fall to the floor. Two of the bouncers quickly went to the stage as Jeff was starting to sway.

"It's OK, we'll take them home," Morgan quickly told the bouncers as he helped Jimmy pull Jeff and Lester to their feet. Alex stood silently behind them and gave Jimmy a look. Jimmy nodded, which Alex knew meant they got the information they needed. She nodded back.

Morgan and Jimmy got Jeff and Lester to the parking lot. They helped the inebriated pair into the back of Jimmy's car. Jimmy looked across the parking lot and his eyes widened.

Yuji Okumoto and two of his men was heading in their direction.

Jimmy quickly handed Morgan the car keys. "Drive them out of here now," he ordered. Morgan quickly got in the car. From inside the club, Alex peeked out the door and saw Okumoto. She quietly cursed herself for not bringing her gun or bringing any other pair of shoes besides her five-inch stilettos.

She went to the dressing room and got out her mobile phone. She sent a text message, hoping they would receive it and get there fast.

Jimmy thought quickly and came up with a plan. He started walking towards Okumoto as if he was smashed.

"Phillip, is that you? Hey man, that is you! You know how long it's been, man? You're looking good, baby!"

Okumoto tried to push past Jimmy and get to the car, but Jimmy hung on to him. "Phillip, what's going on, man? Give us a kiss, baby!"

One of Okumoto's men tried to grab Jimmy and pull out his gun in the process. Jimmy spun and landed a kick to knock the gun away, following it up with an elbow to the face and a back kick into the man's knee, forcing him to the ground. Okumoto dove at Jimmy but he sidestepped him and threw him to the ground. The other man with Okumoto landed a kick to Jimmy's chin. Jimmy staggered back but righted himself and landed a roundhouse kick at the man, following it up with two jabs. The man on the ground tried to get up but Jimmy put him back down with a roundhouse. Okumoto spun and landed a kick at the back of Jimmy's head. Jimmy fell to the ground. He reached for the gun in his ankle holster.

A car sped into the parking lot and screeched its tires as it spun. Two people opened fire from the passengers' side with automatic weapons. Jimmy rolled along the ground and opened fire at them. They turned towards Jimmy and tried to take him out. Jimmy crawled behind a car and exchanged gunfire with them. Okumoto and his men ran for their own car and took off.

Jimmy slammed his head against the back of the car as he reloaded. "Nice work, moron. You just saved the bad guy's life."


	3. Strange Bedfellows

_Hello. Just stopping by to add the third chapter of this story. I'm still trying to strike a balance between how much I plan ahead of time and how much I try to come up with as the story goes. One of the items in the chapter is in that second group, and I hope it adds to the comedy. (and no, it's not an homage to "Dude, Where's My Car?")_

_I actually have two story ideas I'm mulling in my head for what comes up after this one. One of them is a season 5 story that will involve some of the things we know about the final Chuck season. The other one is an AU story I dismissed at first, as Frea O'Scanlin had written what I thought was a similar story. Her "Curtain Call" story is a fascinating take with Sarah Walker being a famous movie actress. However, that was the only thing that story and my idea for "Chuck vs. Jen Burton, Spy Girl" had in common. My idea was for an AU story where Sarah is a spy with the perfect cover...as a spy on TV. We'll see what happens._

_Anyway, big thanks again to BDaddyDL for perusing the chapter to see if I know what I'm doing. Enjoy, and please leave reviews!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Crystal Palace Gentlemen's Club<br>November 9, 2011  
>10:45 PM PST<strong>_

Jimmy peeked out from behind the car where he took cover from the four men who were shooting at him. A quick burst from one of their assault weapons made him duck behind the car again. He fired several shots in their direction to keep them at bay before rolling behind another car so they couldn't get a bead on him.

He checked his clip. "Way to bring your PPK tonight, idiot. Three shots left," he muttered to himself.

Jimmy looked to his left. An old fire extinguisher lay near a dumpster thirty feet away. He looked around to see if he could run for it, but he would have to go out in the open to get it.

Jimmy rolled his eyes. "Use the Force, Luke."

He checked to see nobody was watching and concentrated. The extinguisher rolled on the ground towards him. He closed his eyes from the headache as the extinguisher stopped against his leg. Jimmy looked under the car he was behind and could see the tires of the car the assailants came in. He fired a shot at each of the tires, and they exploded. He grabbed the extinguisher, ran back to his original spot, and hurled it towards the four men in the car. He aimed and fired his last shot at the extinguisher. The four dove out of the way as it exploded.

Jimmy charged towards two of the men, sweeping up their weapons as he landed a hook on one of them and kicked the other in the face to keep them down. He spun around and fired at a third man, who got nailed in the shoulder and fell to the ground.

Jimmy felt something hit him in the arm. He dropped the gun he grabbed and fell to the ground. He clutched his upper arm as blood came out of it. The man who shot him walked around the car and aimed his weapon at Jimmy. Jimmy stared defiantly at the man.

A tall figure grabbed the man's shoulder and whirled him around, landing a brutal hook to knock him out.

Jimmy looked up at the person who just saved his life, who looked down on him with utter contempt.

"You made it six whole weeks without my help. I'm semi-impressed," John Casey said condescendingly as he pulled Jimmy to his feet.

"You're here? I'd like to know who called you…just so I can have a few four-letter words with them."

"You're welcome, moron." Casey kept a close eye on the four men on the ground. "Your horny Barbie doll texted me. I was settling in for a quiet night when she called."

Jimmy felt more than a little indignation. "Yeah. Because God forbid you miss an episode of _Law & Order_, right? Does the lady in charge know you're at a strip club right now?"

"As long as he keeps his hands out of the cookie jar, I'm fine with it," a female voice replied behind Jimmy. Jimmy turned to see Ilsa Trichina standing with her gun pointed at the four men on the ground.

Jimmy smiled. "Well, unlike him, you're a sight for sore eyes."

"And I see you still like to get yourself into more trouble than you can handle," Ilsa replied with a stern gaze that gave Jimmy a creepy Casey vibe.

"OK, now I've got three women mothering me." Jimmy exhaled in frustration as he looked at his arm, which was still covered in blood. "And I'm guessing there will be a fourth before the night is out."

Alex came out of the club in an overcoat, carrying the bag she brought with her costume. "Are you OK?" she asked Jimmy with considerable worry.

Jimmy gave a little laugh as Alex and Ilsa helped him take off his coat. "You've seen me messed up worse than this. But I don't have a particular need to keep this bullet in my arm, so we should probably take care of that."

"Where's Morgan? Did he get Jeff and Lester out of here?"

"Yeah, they're gone. They had at least a ten minute lead on Okumoto, so they should be safe."

Jimmy turned back to Casey, who looked ready to retch. "Tell me she didn't say who I thought she said."

Jimmy hung his head. "I'm afraid so," he said meekly. "Somehow, Jeffster became a key government witness to a triple homicide." He shook his head and laughed with a bit of a maniacal tone. "Wow, that sounded even dumber than it did in my head."

Jimmy's mobile phone began to ring. He got it out of his pocket with his good arm while Casey cut his shirt sleeve off to use as a tourniquet for his wound.

"Hello?" Jimmy listened momentarily before letting out a low growl. "Out cold? Lovely. Can you take them back to your place, Morgan? All of us will meet you there as soon as the cops can clean this up." Jimmy winced from the wicked headache he had. "Yup. All of us. We're putting the band back together."

He pulled the phone away from his ear at Morgan's reaction. "I know. It's epic, man."

_**Echo Park  
>November 9, 2011<br>11:45 PM PST**_

Casey drove Ilsa, Alex, and Jimmy to Morgan's apartment. Morgan was waiting by the entrance with Jimmy's car. Jeff and Lester were still in the back.

"Oh, this should be fun," Jimmy grumbled as he got out of the car and peeked inside to see Jeff and Lester passed out.

Casey went around to the side where Lester was. He opened the door and pulled Lester out. Jimmy took Lester and hoisted him onto his good shoulder as Casey reached in to grab Jeff. He took him in a fireman's carry to Morgan's apartment. Morgan held the door open for Casey and Jimmy, who carried the two inside. They dropped them unceremoniously on the couch. Morgan kept an eye on them while Casey, Ilsa, Jimmy, and Alex walked into the kitchen.

"At the risk of sounding a bit whiny, do we have any way of getting this bullet out of my arm?" Jimmy asked.

"Not a problem. Let me go get my kit," Casey answered with a teeth-baring smirk, which was his equivalent of an ear-to-ear grin.

"Oh, yeah. That'll happen. I'd be safer getting a vasectomy from Edward Scissorhands."

"Relax, I already texted someone for help," Alex replied tiredly.

"Who?"

Someone cleared their throat behind them. "OK, I know I said I wanted to see all of you again after I had the baby, but I meant in terms of going out to dinner, not a medical emergency."

Jimmy turned and saw Ellie and Devon standing in the doorway. Ellie had her medical bag, and Devon was holding their daughter, Clara, who looked like she was debating between falling asleep and giving Daddy grief.

He buried his face in his good hand. "Oh, man. I am so sorry. I didn't mean to have you guys come over."

"Well, since you'd rather not be operated on by Dr. Casey…not that I could blame you…how about I have a look at your arm?"

Jimmy nodded. "Sorry. I'm afraid I have an affinity for getting injured on this job."

"Devon, does she need changing?" Ellie asked her husband.

Devon checked Clara's diaper. "Oops, good timing, babe. Someone needs a new diaper," Devon said to Clara while making a goofy face at her.

Ellie took the diaper bag off of her shoulder and placed it on Devon's. "Could you take care of that? I can handle Mr. Excitement over here."

"You got it, hon." Devon and Ilsa went to Morgan's bedroom to change Clara while Jimmy sat at the table. Ellie donned a pair of rubber gloves and started to clean the blood from around the bullet hole in Jimmy's arm.

"Glad you are putting my baby shower present to good use," Jimmy said pleasantly. "Did I get you enough diapers?"

"Yes, you did," Ellie replied in exasperation. "Except maybe you didn't hear? I don't run an orphanage!"

Jimmy slunk back in his chair. "I…thought…babies went through a lot of diapers."

"Yes, they do. But you gave us enough diapers to last until Clara has grandchildren!"

"Uh, James? Why wasn't I consulted on this?" Alex asked in confusion.

If he had a shovel, Jimmy would have dug a hole to China from the embarrassment. "Well, you only knew them for a week or so. I figured I should have been responsible for the gift on my own."

"So what's going on?" Casey asked in a commanding voice to refocus Jimmy and Alex on their mission.

Jimmy looked back and forth between Casey and Ellie. "Uh, Ellie? Is it OK if we talk shop…"

"It's fine. Just don't move your arm," she replied as she took a pair of forceps and tried to get a hold of the bullet.

"Beckman sent us out here because Jeff and Lester witnessed a murder by a member of the Yakuza. Yuji Okumoto, a real nasty SOB. We tried to get them to open up about it without knowing who we really were. They think I got a promotion in the Buy More, and they still think Alex is…well…um…"

"They still think she's a stripper?" Casey asked in disbelief.

"We didn't want to blow our covers and admit who we were," Alex answered. "You know how paranoid Lester is. Even stupid paranoia is still paranoia, and if he found out the truth about us, he might not stop until he found out about you, Chuck, Sarah…everybody."

Casey turned back to Jimmy. "If you're after a Yakuza hitman, why were you having a shootout with Menudo?"

"I don't know. Beckman thinks it was a weapons deal gone bad. Those clowns must be from the same gang as the three Okumoto killed. Alex confirmed that part with the Long Beach Police earlier. They've been keeping it under wraps so we don't have an all-out war on the streets, but we might be too late now."

"No, we could still head that off," Alex interjected.

"How?" Jimmy said with gritted teeth as Ellie pulled the bullet out.

"It wouldn't take us long to figure out who the current leaders of the gang are. I'm sure the Long Beach Police can give us that. We just pay them a little visit and tell them to back off."

"There you go," Ellie said as she made sure the bandage held on Jimmy's arm. "Now can you please not get yourself shot? You know how many times Devon and I have had to bandage you up?"

Jimmy hung his head. "I'll try. Thank you so much for coming tonight. I'm so sorry to drag you out of the house."

"Don't even worry about it. Clara wasn't much for sleeping tonight, so a little fresh air helped. But you still owe us dinner."

"Before we go back to D.C., I promise."

Devon came back in with Clara asleep on his shoulder. "OK, she's good to go," he whispered. "Can you guys handle your two infants out there?"

Alex nodded. "We'll figure something out. Thanks for helping us."

"Hey, anytime. The big guy has taken care of the family quite a few times already."

Ellie gave hugs to everybody before leaving the apartment with Devon. Casey and Ilsa went into the living room area. Jimmy slowly stood and shook his arm gently to get the circulation going. Alex watched him as he paced in the kitchen. He stopped to look at her.

"I would have been OK if you terminated the bet. Believe me; my pride isn't worth you having to worry about me. That was not the safest thing I could have done tonight."

Alex gave a little smile. "I'm pretty sure nobody could have predicted Okumoto tracking us down like that. And to have those gang members show up? Unless the Intersect gave you clairvoyance, you handled that the only way you could. We'll figure this out. Although from now on, I'm bringing my gun, no matter what I'm wearing."

"Well, if it's any consolation, that outfit you wore was totally worth it."

Alex grinned and walked up to Jimmy. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a steamy kiss. "I thought you might like it. I am definitely hanging on to it."

"Speaking of hanging on to things," Jimmy uttered in a husky voice. "Where's my money?"

"What money?" Alex innocently asked as she batted her eyelashes at him.

"Oh, come on. That was out of my expense account."

"Is it my fault you put $500 in my garter?"

Jimmy smirked as he slid his hand inside Alex's coat and ran his hand up and down her leg. "Hey, if you had these things wrapped around you, you wouldn't be thinking straight, either."

Alex playfully waved the money in front of Jimmy's face. "This will buy me that pair of Louboutin's I've had my eyes on. If you're nice, maybe I'll even model them for you."

"Not that I would ever stop you from buying a quality pair of shoes, but somehow I don't see this working out in my favor."

Alex arched an eyebrow. "A little lesson on relationships, James. When your girlfriend says she's going to model a pair of expensive pumps with a six-inch heel for you, the chances are pretty good that's all she'll have on."

Jimmy's eyes widened. "You make a good point."

Alex tickled his lips with the tip of her tongue and playfully ground against him. "Right now, so are you."

Jimmy exhaled in embarrassment. "I hate when you get me worked up like that."

"Well, I do my best," she teased.

They walked into the living room area where Jeff and Lester were still out cold on the couch.

"What do you want to do with the morons?" Casey asked Jimmy and Alex.

"Well, since shooting them is not an option," Jimmy replied tiredly, which earned a grunt of approval from Casey. "We have to convince them they caused too much trouble and deny any mention of the murders they witnessed."

"They passed out drunk?" Ilsa asked. "I was under the impression strip clubs couldn't serve alcohol."

"Knowing Barnes, he probably snuck a bottle in," Casey replied.

"And almost got us kicked out," Jimmy added. "Fortunately, I provided some booze for them. With a little serum chaser."

"They wake up with a bad hangover and can't remember what happened the next day?" Casey asked, to which Jimmy nodded. "Can't go wrong with the classics."

"Morgan, you get to play teetotaler on this one. I'll pretend I passed out, too, and you wake us up. Really lay into us. Get pissed off."

"I get to yell at those two? See, I knew there were good parts to this job. But, they have to go back to the Buy More eventually. What if, you know, that Okinawa guy tries to come after them again?"

"Okumoto," Alex corrected. "We have to head him off before he does. On the good side, he may assume James knows everything and will come after him first. But we have to throw him off Jeff and Lester's scent."

"I can tell Big Mike they called in sick. He'll believe that immediately."

"That will help, but we also have to make sure they don't get into trouble on their own," Jimmy said. "I get the feeling Okumoto either saw their van as he drove away from the docks or perhaps he got his hands on the security footage."

"If that's true, we might be able to use that to our advantage." Alex gave it some thought before a smile came to her face. "John, how would you feel about performing a little Grand Theft Auto? Or van in this case?"

Casey looked at Jeff and Lester with an evil grin. "You just made my night, Forrest." Casey fished into Jeff's pockets for the keys. "I'll park it in front of our office. If Okumoto comes over there, that will be a very dumb thing to do."

"Must be quite a change for you from holding some ugly debutante's equally-ugly Pekinese," Jimmy said with a wry look.

Casey waved it off. "I give those assignments to the rookies."

"I'll give you a ride back to the hotel, Alex," Ilsa said. "John, call me when you're done and I'll pick you up."

"Actually, wait at their hotel. If they're going all Michael and Fiona tomorrow taking on some gangbangers, they don't want to be driving anything flashy. I have something in the company's garage that will help you blend in."

Alex nodded. "Good idea, John. We really appreciate all the help."

Casey gave a quiet grunt. "Eh, it's more fun than going through resumes and working on our monthly financials. Never realized private security was such an economy-proof business. We're busy as hell."

"But not busy enough where you're getting out of that honeymoon you promised, dear," Ilsa replied with a grin.

Alex's interest was piqued as the three went to the door. "Where are you heading?"

"I'll tell you on the way. It'll make your night."

"I'll see you in the morning," Jimmy told Alex as he gave her a kiss. "Love you."

Alex caressed his face. "Love you, too, babe."

Alex departed with Casey and Ilsa. Jimmy messed up his hair and loosened his tie, although his clothes were already quite disheveled from the evening's action.

"Get some rest, Morgan. I'm afraid you're in for a tough day with Big Mike tomorrow when these two don't show up for work."

"You got it, buddy. Are you sure this will work?"

"If we can get them to forget about this and get Okumoto to go after me instead of them, it'll work."

Morgan paused for a moment. Suddenly he began to laugh. "I got it. This is too good of an idea!"

"What?" Jimmy asked.

"Oh, I am so going to thank Anna for dragging me to those art classes."

_**Long Beach, CA  
>November 10, 2011<br>8:30 AM PST**_

Alex returned to the Long Beach Police Department to have a quick chat with Detective LaRusso again about the three men Okumoto murdered. She didn't expect him to be happy, as she had called earlier to tell him to consult with the L.A.P.D. about the incident last night at the Crystal Palace. He was hoping to prevent a gang war, and Alex's idea might be the only way to do it.

"Detective LaRusso, good to see you again," Alex started as agreeably as she could. Pleasant conversation was not her strength, but she hoped being more relaxed these days thanks to being with Jimmy would be helpful.

"Wish I could say the same," LaRusso spat out. "We played it your way, Mills. Now there was a shootout at some strip club last night? It's a good thing it wasn't a weekend or there would have been a bloodbath! Either your two 'witnesses' have big mouths or they weren't the only ones to see the murders."

"That's why I'm here. Can you tell me about this gang who's going after Okumoto?"

LaRusso plopped down at his desk and took a sip of his coffee, grimacing at the bitter taste. "Onda Mortal 26."

"The Lethal Wave?"

"Someone thought it sounded cool. They're an offshoot of Florencia 13, one of the largest Hispanic gangs in L.A. Both are controlled by the Mexican Mafia, but Onda works a bit differently. Hence the 26 instead of the 13. They're given more leash to work with. It's organized more like a terror cell structure."

"No direct connections with Florencia or the mob. They get the coded orders and a numbered account and they're on their own after that."

"More or less. Whatever your boy brought over from Japan, we can't get approval from Homeland to search the ship he came on without the evidence tying him to the murders. Being on the docks isn't enough. I will say this; I have to believe it's weapons. Florencia's been getting squeezed by the East Coast Crips in L.A., and to have Onda Mortal go off on them is something they might try."

"I think I can lure Okumoto out and turn him over so you can seize his weapons, but the first thing I need to do is get Onda Mortal to back off."

LaRusso chuckled in disbelief. "One ATF agent is going to tell an entire gang not to get revenge for their members being killed? You prefer lilies or white roses on your casket?"

"I'll have…a little help. Now come on. You have to know where the leaders can be found."

LaRusso regarded her for a minute before writing down an address on a pad of paper. He tore off the top sheet and handed it to Alex. "You can find them here. I'm going to call L.A.P.D. and tell them to send a couple from their gang unit to accompany you."

"No," Alex replied. "We'll go in alone, but have a squad car within range just in case you're right. But rest assured; they'll want to talk to my partner and me."

LaRusso shook his head as he stood. "Well, you got the brains of a Fed, but at least you got the guts of a beat cop. I guess that's better than nothing. Good luck, Agent Mills."

"We'll get him. I promise," Alex replied confidently as she exited the police station.

_**Echo Park  
>November 10, 2011<br>9:05 AM PST**_

"Jeffrey!"

Jeff struggled to lift his head off the couch. "Dude, how many times do I need to tell you? I don't operate before 5 PM."

"Where did we get…these?"

Jeff waited for the room to stop spinning. He noticed Jimmy on the floor stirring awake.

"Did we go by the sperm clinic again last night?"

"No! What…I can't remember what happened!"

"Lester! Turn the volume down!" Jimmy bellowed, attempting to sound as bad as Jeff and Lester did.

"Murdock, you were the leader last night! You don't let your men down! You don't let them…do things…they might regret later."

"What are you blabbering on about?" Jimmy asked through heavily-lidded eyes. At least he looked that way to Jeff and Lester.

"We…we defiled our bodies!"

"What, you two get naked on the couch and cross swords or something?"

"No! These tattoos!"

Jimmy took a look. On Lester's shoulder blade and Jeff's upper arm were the same tattoo: a heart with a banner on it saying _JB + LP 4EVA_.

Jeff got his face inches away from Lester's tattoo. "Jim Beam and Liquid Propane. That's good with a twist of lemon. But totally need it on the rocks."

Jimmy started cracking up as Morgan entered the room.

"I can't believe this happened!" Lester wailed.

"I can," Morgan said acidly. "You three were off your meds last night. I don't know how Roger kept it in, but you two…you don't remember getting those tattoos?"

Lester held his head. "I can't remember a thing. I think we went somewhere with you two, I remember some tall blonde, but…was she a waitress? Some bartender?"

"You sure you weren't looking at Jeff through beer goggles?" Jimmy said to twist the knife a bit. "I mean, it would explain the tattoos."

"Oh, God!" Lester was completely beside himself. "I can't have a tattoo. It's forbidden for me to have one! As a Hindu, as a Jew, and as a Canadian!"

Jimmy turned to Morgan. "Canada banned tattoos?"

Morgan pointed at Lester's heart tattoo. "Maybe that one."

Jimmy nodded. "Point taken."

"What…what are we going to do? We can't be seen in public like this!" Lester cried.

"And I'm sure the public will thank you for it," Morgan replied disdainfully.

Lester grabbed the lapels of Morgan's shirt. "Morgan, we'll give you anything. Just let us stay out of sight until we can get rid of these."

"Plus, I need to get some breakfast," Jeff slurred.

Morgan exhaled. "OK, fine. But I have to go in and explain it to Big Mike, so you two better stay at home."

"Not a problem, compadre," Lester quickly replied in gratitude. "Come, Jeffrey. Let's get out of here."

Jeff searched for his car keys. "Man, did I lose them down a port-a-potty again?"

Jimmy put his hand over his mouth to not laugh hysterically. He thought the plan would work; he just didn't expect it to work so well. "I'll give you two a ride home. Then I have to get cleaned up. But you two better stay away from the Buy More today. Morgan's going to have enough trouble with Big Mike today, and he doesn't need you two making it worse. And no more spreading stories when you can't even remember you got tattoos!"

Jeff and Lester nodded silently from the stern lecture. They shuffled ashamedly out of Morgan's apartment and headed for Jimmy's car. Jimmy stayed back a few steps.

"Oh, that was mean," Jimmy told Morgan.

"Yeah, but what payback," Morgan replied with a laugh.

"I'll dump them off and then contact you later. Call Alex or me if there are any problems."

"You got it, buddy."

"Later." Jimmy headed for his car.

_**East Los Angeles  
>November 10, 2011<br>11:30 AM PST**_

Jimmy shook his head. "You know, I would have happily jumped off the Petronas Towers without a parachute before trying this."

Alex was far more relaxed in the driver's seat of the ten-year-old Chevy they were using to meet with the leadership of the Onda Mortal gang. "I don't know why. You've dealt with people much nastier than this before."

"I don't know. Some of their underlings seemed pretty nasty to me last night. Casey had to bail my ass out."

"What happened to all that confidence you had the other day when you made the bet?"

Jimmy nodded and smiled. "True. I guess I wasn't expecting all of this just because those morons were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"Well, if all goes well, the Onda Mortal will give us some breathing room and Okumoto will try to stick his neck out to take you down. Just play it like I told you."

"Bad cop, worse cop?" Jimmy said with a grin.

"Something like that," Alex said, happy Jimmy's usual session of self-doubt was brief.

They pulled up to a market and got out of their car. They looked around and acted authoritative. Sure enough, it drew the attention of a group of young men from across the street.

"You lost or something? Not exactly your neighborhood," one of the men said.

Alex whipped out her ATF badge. "Allison Mills, ATF. This is my partner, Daniel Kreese. We're looking for Hector."

"What, you think you can just tell us you want to see him and we'll kiss your ring? You got serious _cojones_ for a _puta_."

"You can tell him we know about the Japanese guy who killed his men the other night," Jimmy said.

One of the other men pulled a knife on Jimmy. "Those are not words you should use around here, gringo. Maybe we take your little _perra_ and show her a good time."

"I wouldn't do that," Jimmy sternly replied.

"Why? You gonna do something about it?"

One of the men tried to put his hand on Alex. She twisted his wrist and brought her knee up into his extended elbow. The man howled in pain before Alex swept her leg to trip him up, finishing with a kick to the man's head.

"Nope," Jimmy calmly replied. The man retracted the knife and backed away.

"Now, please get Hector for us," Jimmy said without changing expression. The four men backed slowly across the street. One of them broke off to a café and ran inside. Two minutes later, a man in his mid-30s exited the café with the man who went in to get him. He walked purposefully across the street and stood toe-to-toe with Alex and Jimmy.

"You know about the man who killed three of my men?" Hector asked them.

Alex nodded. "We're trying to track him down right now. This guy is as bad as they come. If you'll forgive the cliché, you really don't know what you're up against."

Hector regarded Alex's words. "I sent six men to that deal, and only three came back."

"Those three were lucky. Okumoto could have killed all of them if he wanted."

"_Cabrón_." Hector looked ready to kill as well. "We'll take this coward out."

"And where will you find him?" Jimmy interjected. "You got lucky last night. If I wasn't there, you'd have four more dead bodies to deal with. Consider yourself fortunate I was in a good mood last night and didn't kill anybody."

"You did that? Those are my men you put in jail."

"Yeah, men who shot at a federal agent. You went way off your turf to do that. Those trigger-happy little punks could have wounded innocent people trying to take this prick down. Do you really want the police to come down on you? Or worse, what if the Crips get wind of you showing up strapped in places near them?"

"This man you're after is a member of the Yakuza in Japan," Alex said. "That's the mafia. He's dangerous and very well-connected. If you go after him, it'd be like a crossing guard trying to take down Al Capone. You give us forty-eight hours, and we'll take this guy down for you."

"Why?"

"Because we don't want a repeat of last night somewhere more high-profile, like near a park or a school. Do you really want that? More of your people in jail? Or even dead?"

Hector exhaled and stared at Alex and Jimmy for a long moment. "Fine, you have forty-eight hours. But by noon Saturday, he better be gone, or we go after him ourselves. And we don't plan to shoot around you if you're in the way."

"Good enough," Jimmy growled as Alex and he got back into the car and drove off.

"I hope that worked," Jimmy said.

Alex nodded. "As long as we keep Jeff and Lester out of the way, we'll find Okumoto before the deadline."

_**Buy More  
>November 10, 2011<br>12:30 PM PST**_

Morgan walked around the store more than he normally did. He was certainly grateful it wasn't a busy day. Skip was handling himself just fine behind the Nerd Herd desk. Not that Jeff and Lester would have contributed much more, but it would have been better than nothing.

"GRIMES!"

Morgan turned to see Big Mike approaching him. "What's going on, boss?"

Big Mike looked around before lowering his voice. "Morgan, has that Roger Murdock guy said anything to you? Anything at all?"

"No…uh, no, Mike. Why do you ask?"

"But, son, you'd tell me, right? If something was going on with corporate, you'd let me know. Just give it to me straight, Morgan. Am I in trouble?"

"Mike, I really can't say what's going on."

"Does this have to do with the idiots not showing up today?"

"Mike, no. I told you they called earlier and said they had car trouble."

"OK, OK. But you keep your eyes open. I don't trust that Murdock. You never trust that humble smile and those Rat Pack good looks. There's a whole other person lurking underneath."

"No problem, Big Guy. I'm on it."

Morgan walked away and shook his head. If only Mike knew he wasn't as paranoid as he sounded.

_**Van Nuys, CA  
>November 10, 2011<br>12:45 PM PST**_

Yuji Okumoto drove away with a tinge of annoyance. He was able to trace the van of those two men to this location, but something seemed off. The van was parked in the middle of a corporate park. It was hardly the type of place he expected two men to spend their day, given he found them at that club the prior night. He was uncertain if they were really there, but it would have been difficult to search all seven buildings. There were over 3,000 people working in this area, and even finding two people as distinctive as them would be difficult.

Of greater concern to him was the man in the suit who was with them. He was not some weak computer repair person. It was possible this person was some sort of law enforcement officer, which meant his job would be that much harder. But he had little choice. Even if he returned to Japan, they could have him extradited back to the United States for the killing of those three men. He had little choice but to eliminate that possibility.

He got on the highway and drove back to the Buy More. Eventually the two men would show up there. And if he was lucky, he would get a chance to face the man in the suit again. He wasn't expecting someone as highly skilled to know the two computer technicians. But he would not underestimate him again.

_**Buy More  
>November 10, 2011<br>1:00 PM PST**_

Big Mike closed the door to his office and picked up the phone. He wasn't going to take this lying down. Murdock was up to something, and he might be conspiring with Morgan. He needed someone to watch his back.

"Patel, it's your boss."

"Michael, Morgan talked to you, right? He told you we were…indisposed?"

"Forget about that! We've got trouble here. Murdock is sticking his nose into our business. He might be trying to break us up. Do you really want that?"

"Mike, Mike, it's just paranoia. Roger's a really good guy."

"Don't give me that! He's trying to lull you into helping him! That's what those vultures do at corporate! They get us to turn on each other! We're not gonna let that happen! We're gonna stick together!"

"Fight the man! OK, but what does that have to do with calling us?"

"I need you here. Keep an eye on Grimes. See if he is talking to Murdock. You and Barnes get your asses in here and do what you do best: be sneaky little bastards."

"I don't know, Mike…"

"I throw in some extra vacation time. And your corporate discount will go up."

Big Mike waited for an answer from Lester, although he could have sworn Lester was having a private conversation with himself.

"Michael, we're with you. We'll be there as quickly as we can. I'll have my mother drive us over there."

"Just get here as fast as you can. Bye."

Lester hung up his phone. "Jeff, we have work to do."

Jeff tried to stand up, only to fall to the floor. "What about the whole 'we can't be seen in public' thing?"

Lester took a deep breath and put his hands on his hips, attempting to conjure some bravado. "Sometimes, needs must when the devil drives."

Jeff used Lester to pull himself up. "I thought the devil went down to Georgia."

"Whatever, Jeff! Big Mike needs us. Time to go."

Lester went to find his mother so they could get a ride to the Buy More.


	4. Getting Payback by Getting Right

_And we come to the end of this story. Actually, a lot of what was in the second half of this chapter was planned from the outset. You might need to do a little research to get the jokes, but people in Chicago especially will appreciate them._

_I originally said I had a couple of ideas for new stories, but between Quisite64's _**Sound of Music**_ story and Doc In Oz's send up on _**Young Frankenstein**_, I'm very tempted to have a try at a _**Blazing Saddles**_ Chuck parody. We'll see what happens._

_In the meantime, special thanks to **Jinxed97**, **Jaytoyz**, **East Coast Captain**, **Jimmy 144**, and **Katsumara** for all of their reviews, and a big thanks to **BDaddyDL** for giving me some ideas and critiques of my writing. BDaddyDL told me I'm one of the best at writing dialogue between couples. I consider that highly ironic. :-D_

_Hope you enjoyed the story, and please leave reviews!_

* * *

><p><em><strong>East Los Angeles<br>November 10, 2011  
>12:15 PM PST<strong>_

Jimmy sat in the passenger seat of the car Casey loaned them from his security firm as they headed back to Burbank.

"You're awfully quiet," Alex said with a sideways glance at Jimmy. "I figured you'd be happy we got through dealing with those punks without a scratch. You didn't even have to lift a finger."

Jimmy nodded. "True, but I was ready to pounce when that loser laid a hand on you. It was going to be the last thing he ever did."

"Hey, we both know I'm no slouch when it comes to defending myself."

"I know, I know. That guy won't be playing tennis for the rest of his life. Do I still get chivalry points for wanting to protect my girlfriend?"

Alex smiled and ran her hand along Jimmy's cheek. "Maybe one or two."

Jimmy gave her a playful growl, and Alex laughed. They were interrupted by Jimmy's mobile phone.

"Hello? Hey, Case. Well, it was a good idea. Maybe they're after me now instead of the morons. OK, call if Ilsa finds anything. Thanks."

"What's going on?" Alex asked.

"Casey talked to security personnel at his office. Nobody inquired about Jeff's van. Ilsa's trying to get the security footage from the surveillance cameras in the corporate park to see if any vehicle gave the van more than a passing look."

"It was a long shot in the first place. But if Okumoto is after you now, that's a lot less dangerous than having him go after Jeff and Lester."

"True," Jimmy said and fell silent again.

Alex glanced over at Jimmy after a few minutes. "You're still eerily quiet."

"Oh, it's…nothing."

"Come on, James. No keeping things in, remember?"

"I don't know…it…it just feels weird the way the last two years have unfolded. One day, I walk into a Buy More to teach a computer class and, boom, everything in my life changes. Becoming a spy, receiving the Intersect, falling in love with you…"

"I'm third on that list?" Alex asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm just saying everything that's happened; it's not in order of preference," Jimmy replied with a tinge of frustration that quickly abated when he saw Alex's smile. "I mean, did you expect everything to turn out they way it did?"

Alex was silent for a moment. "I'm afraid you're asking the wrong person. The same thing has gone through my mind. I'm still trying to get accustomed to how things have changed."

"But you've been an agent far longer than me. And you were going to get married at one point."

Alex nodded. "I was a different person back then. Well, to be more accurate, I'm getting back to being the person I once was. From the time I went into the CIA, I just wanted revenge for John. And the CIA was quite happy to use that to their advantage. Some of the things I did I regret now, but I had no problem with them at the time. I imagine I would have ended up in a Syrian jail or left to die at the hands of the North Koreans had I kept going the way I did."

"Something happened? You were pulled out of the field?"

Alex nodded slowly. "I had a mission in New York in 2006 not too unlike our first mission there. But I was alone. I stopped a terrorist group from bringing a chemical weapon into the country, just like we did, but I barely got away with my life. I don't know…something about that mission must have hit me harder than I thought. Graham started sending me out to assess other agents a few weeks later. He never told me why. Maybe he saw something in my reports or demeanor. I never thought much about it. I wasn't one to question things at the time, but I get the impression Graham felt a little guilty about the reasons I entered the CIA in the first place. Maybe he didn't want me ending up in a psychiatric facility or prison, or even dead."

"Chuck and Sarah told me your first encounter with them was a bit icy."

Alex exhaled slowly. "I recommended splitting them up. I was appalled their relationship was that involved. Maybe there was some lingering resentment over John, I don't know. Obviously they weren't split up and it was the right decision. But that was the first time Beckman didn't listen to one of my recommendations. I have to be honest; I wasn't happy about it. And when she sent me out to Las Vegas to lead the team in stopping Kolinova, I can't say that didn't have an effect on how I treated all of you."

Jimmy took her free hand as they pulled up to a stoplight. "Hey, it worked out in the end, right?"

Alex smiled and squeezed his hand tightly. "I was wrong about Chuck and Sarah, and I was even more wrong about you."

"So after our mission, they sent you out into the field more?"

"Beckman sensed something about me when I returned from Las Vegas. She tried me on a couple of missions in D.C. at first. The reports from the other agents confirmed what she suspected; that I was a much different person. Then we did the mission in New York, and I was back in the field permanently."

"Well, you should be in the field. You're one of the best agents in the government."

Alex smiled, put the car in park, and pulled Jimmy's face to her, giving him an ardent kiss. "Thanks to you, I am again."

Jimmy gently caressed her face and gazed into her ocean blue eyes. "I'm guessing it would be a bad time for me to say you did all the hard work and I was just along for the ride?"

"Very much so. Quit spoiling the moment, babe."

"Sorry," Jimmy humbly replied and gave her a kiss. Alex put the car in drive again as traffic began to move.

"Our best bet at this point would be to have me hang around the Buy More and hope I can flush Okumoto out," Jimmy said. "Jeff and Lester aren't there, so hopefully it will minimize the risk."

"OK. I'll keep watch outside and contact you if I see Okumoto or any of his men."

"Great. Let's head over there."

They drove towards Interstate 10 to return to Burbank.

_**Buy More  
>November 10, 2011<br>1:30 PM PST**_

Morgan sat back in his chair in the employee break room at the Buy More, drowning his sorrows with his third grape soda of the day. Ordinarily he paced himself, restricting his intake to two sodas for the entire day. Anna had been pressuring him to take better care of himself, and Morgan's incessant imbibing in his favorite drink was the first target in her crosshairs. However, between Anna being out of the country and Big Mike hounding him about why he's talking with Jimmy so much, his self-discipline was waning quickly for his favorite libation.

"So, Mr. Grimes. You think you can push Big Mike out the door? You want this place for yourself?"

Morgan did a double-take as he turned around and saw Jeff and Lester standing over him.

"What are you two doing here? You're supposed to be hiding out at home!"

"We are not going to let you and Murdock break up the band. I don't care how many tall, gorgeous blondes you throw at us, wrapping their long smooth legs around our necks, rubbing their perfect breasts in our faces…"

Lester began to lose focus. Jeff smacked him in the back of the head. "Right! Thank you, Jeffrey. The point is, whatever you and Roger have planned, we are standing up for Big Mike. He's in charge of this store!"

"We'd rather not listen to him than not listen to you," Jeff slurred in support.

Morgan looked ready to tear his hair out. "Guys, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not trying to take over the store, and neither is Roger."

"Then why is he here?" Lester asked insistently.

"He's…look, I can't tell you," Morgan stammered, wishing like hell Jimmy and he had worked on coming up with a good lie. "Let's just say Roger gave me some inside information. Stuff he couldn't tell Big Mike because Mike would find out if it's true and Roger would get fired."

"Like what?" Jeff asked.

Morgan's eyes lit up. "Next week, we're supposed to have an emergency preparedness drill. Corporate is going to judge Big Mike on how he handles it. Roger warned me so I can take steps to make sure Big Mike is ready. He's not trying to get Big Mike fired; he's here to make sure he _doesn't_ get fired."

Jeff and Lester calmed down at that. "Ah, then we've come here under false pretenses," Lester said meekly. "We will make ourselves scarce."

"Plus, this tattoo is a bit itchy," Jeff added.

-/^\-

Alex pulled up to the entrance of the Buy More. Jimmy exited the car and walked around to her window.

"I'll have a look inside and ask Morgan if everything is OK with Big Mike."

"I'll call Ilsa and ask her if she was able to get the security footage yet. Anything would help."

"Thanks," Jimmy replied and gently pulled Alex's face to him to give her a kiss.

"Hey, no hero stuff," Alex said with a bit of a hardened gaze. "Bet or no bet, don't expect me to stay out here if things go bad."

Jimmy sighed. "Yeah, I'm starting to realize nobody will let me do anything alone anymore."

"Well, if you try to pull a Lone Ranger in there, I know one thing you'll _definitely_ be doing alone from now on."

Jimmy made a face at her. "You're a riot, Alexandra."

Jimmy walked into the store as Alex found a parking spot that gave her a good view of anybody walking into the Buy More. She saw several individuals walk in, two of whom could have fit the description of Okumoto's men. She glanced through the surveillance pictures to see if they were in any of them, but she could only find an image of Okumoto himself.

Alex's mobile phone rang a few minutes later. "Hello?"

"Alex, this is Ilsa."

"Any luck with the surveillance footage?"

"I didn't find very much. The only thing that looked out of the ordinary is a car that came into the parking lot, passed by the van twice, and drove away. The car didn't stop, though. Nobody got out of it."

"Anything distinctive about the car?"

"Not really. It was a gray Chevrolet Impala. Nothing distinctive about it at all."

Alex took a look around the parking lot and frowned. She exited her car and walked over to a gray Chevrolet Impala parked in the lot.

"Ilsa, did the surveillance get a good look at the license plate?"

"Not really. The first two letters were A and X. I think the plate might have been from Arizona."

Alex's eyes went wide. She dashed for her vehicle. "Ilsa, find Casey. Tell him to come to the Buy More with all of his favorite toys."

"Are they there?" Ilsa asked with a rising panic.

"Yes, and James just walked in!" Alex hung up her phone, grabbed her gun, and dashed into the Buy More.

-/^\-

Jimmy took a look around. He saw several of the Nerd Herd crew congregated by the desk but could not locate either Morgan or Big Mike. He pulled out his mobile phone.

"Hang it up," a voice hissed behind him.

Jimmy felt a gun poking him in the back. He hung up the phone and glanced behind him to see Okumoto standing there with an enraged appearance. Okumoto frisked Jimmy and took his gun and mobile phone away.

Jimmy looked over his shoulder. "You realize we have enough on you where you can't get away with this now. Attacking me like you did?"

"I just have to eliminate anybody who knows about this. Once I make it back to Japan, the family will make sure nothing happens to me. Now, get those three out here."

"Those three?"

"The two with the van and their bearded friend. I'm sure he knows everything by now."

Jimmy shook his head and laughed. "Yeah, uh, one thing. Since you plan to kill me anyway, why would I give you the chance to add three more to your list?"

Alex rushed through the entrance and tried to locate Jimmy. Before she could pull her gun out, one of Okumoto's associates grabbed her and put a gun into her back.

Okumoto glanced over and nodded. "And now we have the other one I saw you with. I'm sure you don't want me to make you watch us kill her. It'll be slow and painful."

Okumoto slowly moved around Jimmy so they were facing each other. He kept the gun low but still pointed at him. "And if that isn't enough incentive for you, take a look around."

Jimmy glanced around to see several men who appeared to be with Okumoto in the vicinity of several customers.

"What about all of their lives? Are you willing to see them die, too?"

Jimmy looked around the store. Okumoto's men kept a low profile, although they gave the occasional sideways glance towards him, awaiting his orders. Behind him, Jimmy could see Alex being led over to him by the man who caught her.

"OK, you win," Jimmy said in complete frustration. "I'll go find them."

"No," Okumoto growled. "You are not leaving my side. Use the P.A. system to call them out here. Tell them they have customers."

Jimmy chuckled. "Uh, these two avoid work at all costs. Telling them they have customers will just make them find a better hiding place. I'll have to use something different to motivate them to come out."

"Very well. Now move."

Okumoto walked directly behind Jimmy as he made his way to the Nerd Herd desk. Jimmy picked up the P.A. and switched the microphone on.

"Would Jeff Barnes and Lester Patel please report to the Nerd Herd desk? Jeff Barnes and Lester Patel, please report to the Nerd Herd desk. Your Hawaiian barbecue pizza with fresh pineapple has arrived. Get it before it goes cold."

-/^\-

"I'll call my mother and have her pick us up," Lester told Morgan. "Maybe we can figure out what happened to the van."

"Poor Loretta. She's out there, cold and lonely," Jeff said as a few tears formed in his eyes.

"Great, great," Morgan said in relief. "You do that. But stay here in the employees' break room, OK? I have to get out to the floor and see if Big Mike came back from lunch."

"Nyet problemski, Morgan," Lester said.

Morgan stood and headed to the door. They then heard the click of the P.A. system.

"_Would Jeff Barnes and Lester Patel please report to the Nerd Herd desk? Jeff Barnes and Lester Patel, please report to the Nerd Herd desk. Your Hawaiian barbecue pizza with fresh pineapple has arrived. Get it before it goes cold."_

"Oooh, good," Jeff said with a little drool forming in the corners of his mouth. "We skipped lunch." He headed for the door.

Morgan grabbed him. "Dude, didn't you hear who said that? That was Roger!"

"So?" Lester asked.

"Did you two order a pizza?" Both of them shook their heads. "He told you to get your barbecue pizza with…"

Jeff and Lester stood in confusion for several seconds. They then turned to each other in total fear. "Pineapple!"

Morgan ran out of the break room door and pulled the fire alarm. The fire alarm buzzed throughout the store and strobe lights flashed from all directions. Customers started running for the exits, and Okumoto and his men were momentarily startled by the fire alarm. Jimmy spun and landed a hook kick to Okumoto's head, knocking him down. Alex snapped her head back to nail the man behind her. He staggered back. Alex turned and threw a roundhouse at him to send him to the floor. From across the store, a man took aim at Jimmy. Alex reached for the throwing daggers in her ankle holster and threw one at the man, nailing him in the middle of his chest.

"Get Morgan out of here!" Jimmy shouted as Okumoto swept his leg to knock Jimmy down. Alex took off with several of Okumoto's men in pursuit as Okumoto jumped on top of Jimmy and grabbed his throat. Jimmy brought his hands up to box Okumoto's ears, making him loosen his grip on Jimmy. He then got his legs under him and pushed Okumoto off of him. Jimmy frantically looked around for either gun, only to be nailed in the face by Okumoto's foot. He fell down in a daze and tried to shake it off as Okumoto came at him again.

-/^\-

Morgan grabbed Jeff and Lester and corralled them into the employees' locker room. He ran back outside as Alex came down the hallway.

"Alex, what's going on? Why did Jimmy call a pineapple?"

"The store is under attack."

"Again?" Morgan rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"I have to get you out of here right now. Okumoto wants you dead, too."

"Uh, not to make your job more difficult, but we have a problem."

Alex's eyes widened. "They didn't…"

"They're hiding in the locker room."

"Son of a bitch." Alex looked down the hallway. She could hear the door leading to the sales floor being pounded on. She handed Morgan an earpiece. "Do you have a key to a Nerd Herd car?" Morgan nodded. "I'll hold them off. When I tell you, grab those two and take off out the back. Once you're away from here, call Casey."

"But, what about you two?"

"Go! Now!" Alex ordered as she shoved him towards the locker room and took off in the other direction to confront Okumoto's men.

-/^\-

Jimmy tried to get to his feet as Okumoto sent a flying back kick at Jimmy's head, knocking him down again. Jimmy could feel the room spinning but still backtracked on his hands and feet to create some space. Okumoto spotted his gun and grabbed it. Jimmy dove to his left as Okumoto opened fire. He crawled quickly between two rows of washers and dryers on the display floor. Okumoto peeked out from the end of the aisle and fired, only to not find Jimmy there. He walked down the aisle, and a washing machine was sent into him, pinning him against another one as Jimmy leaped over the row of appliances and grabbed his wrist, smashing it down on the washer to make him drop it. Okumoto sent a chop to the back of Jimmy's head with his free hand, knocking him off-balance. He took advantage of it to free himself from between the washers. He leaped into the air to land a kick at Jimmy, but Jimmy ducked out of the way and spun with his leg extended, knocking Okumoto down as he landed. Jimmy went after him, but Okumoto pushed off with his hands and landed both feet into the middle of Jimmy's chest, sending him flying backwards. Jimmy landed on a rack of computer equipment, knocking the shelves down in the process.

Okumoto walked slowly over to him as he sensed victory. Jimmy was rolling around on the ground in obvious pain and was unable to get up.

-/^\-

Alex pulled out her gun and aimed it at the door. She heard another pound at the door and opened fire, emptying her clip into the door. She immediately dove out of the way as the people on the other side of the door returned fire. The door burst open. Alex tried to get to her feet, but one of Okumoto's men pistol-whipped her, leaving her dazed on the floor. Two others pulled her to her feet.

"Go find them," the man who hit Alex ordered the remaining two, who split up and started searching the hallway. The other three took Alex back to the sales floor.

One of Okumoto's men grabbed the door handle to the break room and opened it, aiming his gun inside. He looked around carefully but spotted nobody. He continued down the hallway, walking into each employee restroom and checking the stalls.

He got to the employees' locker room and threw the door open.

-/^\-

Okumoto reached down and pulled Jimmy to his feet, who gritted his teeth from the pain of crashing into the shelves. Okumoto glanced over to see his men bringing Alex back to the sales floor. He put Jimmy into a half-nelson and drew a _tanto_ from behind his back, holding the sharp steel blade against Jimmy's throat.

"Now, you will witness your friends die first," Okumoto hissed into Jimmy's ear. The two men stopped near a row of refrigerators, and each held Alex at arm's length as the third man aimed his gun at the back of her head.

-/^\-

The man chasing after Morgan, Jeff, and Lester walked into the locker room, pointing his gun as he entered.

"Where are the other ones?" he asked.

"They, uh, left," Morgan replied as he pointed to another door. "There's an emergency exit through there."

The man growled angrily and started to walk towards Morgan. Someone jumped onto his back from behind and put a handkerchief over his mouth, hanging on for dear life as the man struggled. Morgan ducked to the ground as the man tried to break free. He slowly lost consciousness and collapsed to the floor.

Lester came out from behind the lockers as Jeff stood and held up his ether-filled handkerchief. "Viva Buymoria!"

Morgan shook his head. "I can't believe you still had that bottle. I would have thought that stuff would be no good after two years."

Jeff looked at his handkerchief quizzically. "I don't know." He put the handkerchief to his face and inhaled deeply. "Nope, still good," he garbled as he got dizzy and fell to the floor on top of Okumoto's man.

Morgan and Lester shook their heads sadly. "You were right," Lester said as he handed Morgan $10. "I really hate to think what sort of trauma he went through as a child to end up like this."

"I'll leave that to science-fiction writers to explain," Morgan replied as both of them went to drag Jeff out of the building. "Let's go."

They pulled Jeff into the hallway, heading towards the employees' exit. The other man searching for them turned the corner and spotted them. He leveled his gun at them. Morgan and Lester cowered in fear.

The man was grabbed from behind and slammed hard into the wall. He slumped to the ground unconscious. Morgan and Lester slowly got up and turned around when they realized they weren't dead. They looked down the hallway.

"Which one of you idiots left your van in the parking lot at my office?" John Casey asked scornfully.

-/^\-

Jimmy looked on as Okumoto kept a tight grip on him and held the _tanto_ at his throat. Alex slowly turned towards Jimmy and stared at him.

Jimmy wiggled his eyebrows, and Alex replied with a wink.

Jimmy swept his free hand towards Alex. A freezer door opened hard and nailed the man holding the gun in his head. She ducked to avoid his errant shot as he fell to the ground. Jimmy grabbed Okumoto's wrist, holding the _tanto_ away from him as his Intersect flashed on a flurry of combat styles. He spun and smashed Okumoto's wrist against the wall. Okumoto held onto the knife, but Jimmy broke out of the half-nelson and smashed his elbow against Okumoto's face three times in a row, which forced Okumoto to drop his weapon. Alex kicked high at the man on her left and sent him sprawling. She spun and landed a palm thrust at the man on her right, knocking him back.

Okumoto blocked the jab to his face, and tried to land one of his own, which Jimmy blocked. He got his leg up and nailed Jimmy in the face to knock him back. He spun and tried to take Jimmy out with a roundhouse kick, but Jimmy ducked and jumped, sending a vertical kick into Okumoto. Okumoto was knocked back as Jimmy threw a haymaker at him, which he followed up with a second and a third. He leaped into the air and spun, hitting Okumoto with a butterfly kick. Okumoto fell back into a big screen TV and knocked it over. Jimmy spun and landed a flying back kick to Okumoto's chin. He fell to the ground.

Jimmy immediately went over to Alex as she landed a wicked hook on one of the last two men. The other man got up slowly. He assessed his chances against both Alex and Jimmy. He immediately ran out the back of the store, flying past Casey, Morgan, and Lester. Jimmy gave chase as the man got to the back door and exited the building.

He was met by a very large arm, which clotheslined him and sent him flying through the air. He landed unconscious on the hard concrete. The man who clotheslined him looked down on him in barely-contained fury.

"You little punks ain't robbing THIS store!" Big Mike yelled.

-/^\-

Jimmy walked back to the sales floor and grabbed Alex, giving her an intense kiss.

"Are you OK?" Jimmy asked with substantial concern.

Alex smiled. "Never better. It does feel good to be out in the field again."

She took a look around the store. "I'm going to slip out of here before anybody sees me."

Jimmy was surprised. "Are you sure? I won't protest if the bet is blown. Not after everything you did."

Alex took his face in her hands and gave him a kiss. "You were right. You kept our identities protected. And even better, you didn't question yourself once. That's worth losing a bet over."

Jimmy smiled. "Well, I did have something a bit evil in mind had I won the bet, but I promise I'll go easy on you."

"I'll see you at the hotel."

Jimmy gave her a heartfelt kiss. "Love you."

"Love you, too."

Alex exited through the front doors as Jimmy went over to Okumoto, retrieving his gun in the process.

He aimed it at Okumoto, who was moving on the ground. "Don't even try it, pal. I'm sure both our government and yours would love to hear everything you know about the Sumiyoshi-Rengo family."

Okumoto turned his head. "Not how it works," he groveled as foam came out of his mouth. Jimmy's eyes widened. He dropped to his knees and turned Okumoto around as he felt for his pulse. Okumoto was dead. Jimmy looked around and saw a small pillbox in Okumoto's hand.

He exhaled in frustration. "Cyanide pill."

Jimmy slowly got up as a dozen men entered the store. "Uh, I have to call my superiors to get you cleared…"

One of the men approached Jimmy with an NSA ID. "We know who you are, Agent Murdock. We brought the cleaning crew with us."

Jimmy's eyes widened slightly. "How did you get here so fast?"

"John Casey still has quite a few friends in our department. It's amazing what one call from him will get you."

Jimmy nodded and smiled. "I'll bet. Unfortunately, Okumoto decided to check out…permanently. My guess is the others probably don't know much about the family's dealings over in Japan."

He winced from the headache he had, which was about to get worse. "If you need me, I'll be outside selling the cover story to the Buy Morons."

"Good work, Agent Murdock. Quite a batting average you have going, based on what I saw in your file."

Jimmy stared off into space momentarily. A smile slowly spread across his face. "Just need some good friends you can count on."

Jimmy walked outside the store to Big Mike, Morgan, and Lester. Jeff was still unconscious on the ground.

"Murdock, what the hell is going on around here? Who the hell was that little punk I just caught? Why didn't you tell me the store might be robbed?"

Jimmy stared blankly for a moment before putting the pieces together. "I was trying not to start a panic. You know those two stores in San Francisco I helped remodel? I was actually investigating a group of thieves who robbed those stores and four others, all of them Buy Mores. These guys were well-financed and armed to the teeth. I traced their movements to Los Angeles. I figured they planned to start hitting stores here next."

"How come I didn't hear anything about it?" Big Mike bellowed.

"Moses was trying to keep it quiet. Think about it, if the public found out these clowns were only targeting Buy Mores, what would have happened to all of your customers? This place would be a ghost town. Why risk getting holes in you when you can just go to Large Mart and buy your stuff?"

"You could have told me all of this!"

"And how would you have reacted? Pretty much like you are now. Moses wanted me to proceed carefully. He told me to check on security measures at all of the Buy Mores. And who is in charge of those for your store?"

Big Mike nodded. "Grimes. But how did John Casey know to come here?"

Jimmy hesitated for a moment. "Actually, he was the one to give me the lead. He was going through the surveillance for Moses and matched the pictures of the crooks to some ATM and store cameras in and around Burbank. We figured this place was their next target."

Big Mike's posture relaxed…for all of three seconds. "Then how long is the store going to be closed? We're losing money!"

"The police just have to finish their investigation. Give them three or four hours."

"Three or four hours?" Big Mike did not take that well. "Grimes! Let everybody know; we're staying open late tonight! Nobody's getting a paid vacation just because of some robbery! Not even you!"

Jimmy rolled his eyes and walked back into the store.

"Uh, Michael?" Lester asked quietly. "Since we have a few hours before the store opens, Jeffrey and I have to go with Morgan to...run an important errand."

"Fine," Big Mike growled. "Just be back before the store reopens!"

Big Mike walked away. Lester turned to Morgan. "Uh, do you think we can find a way to...um, you know...get these tattoos removed?"

Morgan looked at him oddly. "I think John Casey knows a guy who can do that. It might be painful."

Lester's eyes widened in fear as Morgan walked away with a grin.

_**United Flight 992 to Dulles International  
>November 12, 2011<br>5:30 PM PST**_

Alex and Jimmy spent two more days finishing their mop-up of the mission. They also made sure they went out to dinner with Ellie and Awesome just like they promised. Ilsa was kind enough to drag Casey to the same dinner so Alex and Jimmy could properly thank them for their help He also took a trip to Tiffany's so Morgan would have a beautiful gift to give Anna on her return.

"Hopefully that was a more-practical shower gift," Jimmy said.

"Ellie and Devon loved it. But you seem to not get the concept of limits. That was way too much money you put into Clara's college fund."

"WE put into Clara's college fund," Jimmy corrected as he took a sip from the bottle of water Alex bought for him at the airport.

"Thank you. WE put in her college fund. But it was still too much. With the interest on that, Clara will have medical school paid for by the time she's old enough."

"Well, what choice does she have? Being raised by two doctors like that? She couldn't have less say in her career path if she was born into the Manning family."

"Do not even mention that name," Alex growled. "Damn Eagles. They should have beaten the Giants earlier this year. We are so getting payback next weekend."

Jimmy arched an eyebrow and pulled out a handkerchief. "Need a crying towel?"

Alex glared at him. "We still have a better record than the Bears."

"Gee, that's a big accomplishment," Jimmy said sarcastically. "Even the Bengals have a better record than we do."

Jimmy took a look around the cabin. "Uh, I've been meaning to ask you: why are we flying coach? You always prefer business class."

Alex smiled and raised the armrest separating them. She cuddled closer to Jimmy. "Does that answer your question?"

Jimmy shrugged. "I have no problem with that, as long as you don't mind me being awake and nervous the entire flight."

"Oh, not to worry. I took care of that."

Jimmy gave her a weird look. "What are you talking about?" He then glanced at the water bottle. "Aaah, hell. That is SO wrong."

"Would you have taken a sleeping pill if I had asked you to?"

"Of course not," Jimmy replied as he tried to fight the effects of the tranquilizer

"Exactly. You need some rest, babe. I'm not going to let you burn yourself out."

Alex pulled a pair of pillows from behind her, placing one between Jimmy's head and the fuselage. She placed the other one on Jimmy's left shoulder and laid her head on it.

"I take back what I said about going easy on you with the bet," Jimmy slurred as he fell asleep.

Alex wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes. "Oh, you're still too much of a boy scout inside. What could you possibly come up with?"

_**Vienna, VA  
>November 14, 2011<br>10:30 PM EST**_

"No! Way!"

"Yes way."

"You are truly evil!"

"That's what you get for slipping me a tranquilizer."

"I am not doing this. Not with this attire!"

Jimmy sat in a chair in Alex's apartment with a grin to make the Cheshire Cat jealous. "I'm letting you wear your new Louboutins, aren't I?"

"That isn't the problem, James!" Alex yelled from the bedroom. "It's the rest of the outfit!"

"Hey, it's my fantasy. I won the bet, so put it on."

"Bullshit! This isn't a fantasy. This is out-and-out revenge!"

Jimmy shrugged. "Po-_tay_-to, po-_tah_-to."

Alex stomped out of the bedroom in the oversized Chicago Blackhawks jersey she was wearing with nothing underneath. "I have you know, as a lifelong Flyers fan, I cried my eyes out when the Hawks scored that final goal in Game 6."

Jimmy raised an eyebrow. "You've been mad at Jonathan Toews ever since?"

"Furious! I want to kill Toews for that goal!"

Jimmy grinned. "Nice try. Patrick Kane scored the winning goal. You weren't even in the country when it happened, were you."

Alex froze for a moment. "Dammit!" She stomped back to the bedroom.

"Come on. Time to pay up," Jimmy teased.

Alex walked back out. "Can you at least explain to me why I'm wearing Jeremy Roenick's jersey? He wasn't even on the Hawks when they won the Stanley Cup! I would have been less mad if you gave me a jersey with your name on it!"

Jimmy shrugged. "Well, it's not so much me as it's Roenick. He's good."

Alex growled but knew she had no way out of this. She decided to go the Band-Aid route: rip it off quickly. "Fine, let's get this over with."

Jimmy held his hand up. "Wait, wait. You need the proper music for doing your lapdance."

Alex eyed him warily. "What music?" Suddenly she wanted to kill Jimmy. "No..."

"Yup..."

"Don't do it..."

"I'm doing it..."

"Don't even think about it…"

"I thought about it…"

"I will go all _Single White Female_ on you with this stiletto if you play that song…"

"It's my bet. I can do what I want..."

"Do NOT play that…"

Jimmy hit the remote, and The Fratelli's _Chelsea Dagger_ blasted out of the stereo.

Alex looked ready to kill Jimmy. "You are on the couch for a week at the minimum! I hate this song! Every goal the Hawks scored, those idiots at the United Center would start with this goddamn song!"

"I'm curious; what did you have in mind for me had you won the bet?"

Alex exhaled. "You would have had to wear that Vick jersey for the rest of the season and take me to every Eagles game we could attend and cheer like a madman for them."

"Well, at least what I'm doing will never leave this apartment."

Alex stared at him momentarily before relaxing and even giving Jimmy a smile. She started to do a seductive dance in front of him, flipping the jersey up to tease him. She rubbed her cheek against his, breathing hotly into his ear as she unbuttoned his shirt.

"Just so you know," Alex purred as she straddled Jimmy. "There are a few modifications to this club's policy regarding private dances."

"Mmm, what's that?" Jimmy droned in a smooth voice.

Alex took his hand and slid it between her legs. "Does that answer your question?"

Jimmy wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Indeed it does."

Alex started kissing him, moaning softly as she pulled his shirt away and started taking off his pants. Jimmy pulled the jersey over her head. Her breathing became more and more labored as Jimmy got her worked up.

"Besides," Alex whispered sexily into his ear. "The Hawks can win all the championships they want. The Cubs still won't ever win a World Series."

Jimmy glared at her. "You are truly bad."

"I know," Alex replied as she kissed him hard and pulled him to the floor.


End file.
